Cheap Family Meals 5 – Cheesy Rice

Cheesy Rice

The next of my  cheap family meals is Cheesy Rice

In reality Risotto!  We ate so much of this when the kids were little that they are, to say the least, no longer enamoured of it. However it is a cheap and filling meal.

Ingredients:

3oz of rice per person (You can use risotto rice but that can be expensive – I use pudding rice)

1 large onion per 4 portions

A little oil

A large knob of butter

Hot Stock or stock cubes dissolved in hot water about 3/8pt per portion.

1oz cheese per portion, any kind you like.

Method:

Heat a heavy based pan on a medium heat. Add a small knob of butter and a little oil to the pan. Finely chop the onion and saute in the pan. Do not let it burn. Add the rice and stir until the fat is absorbed. Add some of the stock and stir gently until absorbed then add more stock. Continue adding stock, stirring, until the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked, about 20-30 minutes sometimes a little more. When the rice is cooked, I prefer it fully cooked and not al-dente, stir in the cheese and a large knob of butter, then serve. You can serve on its own or with veg or a salad. Again my lot preferred it with bread and butter.

Variations:

If you have a little wine you can add it before the stock. You can also stir in some frozen sweetcorn or peas for the last five minutes of cooking.  I now like to sauté some chopped chorizo with the onion, or some chopped butternut squash and mushrooms, or any mixture of these. I also now stir in a little Parmesan at the end but that is too expensive to make it cheap.

Thank you for reading this and please come back to my cheap family meals.