Creamy No-Rice Shrimp Risotto (Oven-Baked)

Made entirely using a hands-off oven method so you don't have to spend to much time in the kitchen yet you get a healthy, delicious and nutritious family dinner with just 10 minutes of preparation time and one that can be served for baby-led weaning, 9-12 month old baby, toddlers, picky eaters and the rest of the family.

We grew up eating a lot of risotto. It was one of my favorite meals my mom used to make for me.

But, it is made with white rice which contain high amounts of arsenic, I wanted to create a recipe that has the same flavor, but it healthier and as free of toxic substances as possible.

And also, I wanted to make it in the oven, to fit our Family Oven ethos - 10 min prep, 30 min oven dish with minimal clean up.

Jump to:

• Nutrition and Ingredients
• How to make this?
• How do I serve this for baby and toddler?
• Tips and Tricks
• FAQ and Variations
• More easy healthy oven-baked recipes like this
• Recipe

Nutrition and Ingredients

Bulgur Wheat

• Low in fat and high in fiber and minerals such as manganese, magnesium and iron

• Better option that rice for a balanced diet

• Low score on glycemic index which means it doesn't spike up the blood sugar as much causing excessive release of insulin into the bloodstream

• It contains starch, which is what we need for this risotto to be creamy - adding fats (olive oil & cheese) to starch after baking the bulgur gives us the creaminess we need

Onion

• Can't make risotto without mixing the grain with the onion. Here we use finely chopped onion which we mix into the roasting tray with the bulgur

• Antimicrobial and antioxidant

Garlic

• Antioxidant rich

Cheese

• A great source of protein, fat and calcium

• The best one to use here is parmesan cheese, but if you are like us and often avoid cow's dairy then you can use a hard white goat's cheese

Olive oil

• Olive oil is a great source of calories and "healthy" fats which can protect the cardio-vascular system

Shrimp

• Source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids

• Serve in moderation due to a naturally high sodium content

• Buy wild caught if you can, as farmed is usually treated with antibiotics and chemicals to retain its color

Lemon and Herb Flavoring

• Lemon juice is high in vitamin C

• We use fresh dill and fresh parsley with dill being the most dominant. You can use any herbs you want

How to make this?

Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.

Chop the onion and garlic into small pieces.

Oven cook the bulgur. Place the bulgur in a roasting tin and add the chopped garlic, onion, olive oil and black pepper. Pour the stock over it (or water if for babies under 12 months), mix thoroughly and place in the oven for 20 minutes. This is an easier way to make bulgur because you don't have to keep going back to the kitchen, waiting for it to boil, turn the heat down, etc... but you can let the oven do the work while you relax.

Add shrimp. If using shrimp you add it in for about 5 minutes, until it turns pink. (If you are using already cooked shrimp then just add them a minute before you are ready to take out the bulgur).

Make it creamy. After 20 minutes once the bulgur has absorbed all the water, remove from the oven and mix in the fats - cheese and more olive oil. The cheese will melt and it will become nice and creamy.

Add the lemon and herb flavoring. Drizzle lemon juice, and stir in the herbs. If you did not use stock or salt yet then salt the part served to parents and toddlers at this stage.

How do I serve this for baby and toddler?

Babies

• Replace stock with water in recipe and then just season the part that will be served to adults

• Baby-led Weaning
  • Shrimp cut lengthwise to minimize choking hazard
  • Serve with bulgur wheat on a preloaded spoon
  • Serve with a quartered tomato
  • learn more about baby-led weaning here

• 9 months old+ (or whenever ready for pincer grasp)
  • Shrimp cut lengthwise and then into small pieces the size of pinky fingernail
  • Serve bulgur on a preloaded spoon
  • Tomato chopped into the size of pinky fingernail

• 12-24 Months Old
  • Shrimp cut into bitesize pieces
  • Serve bulgur with a spoon (we used these training spoons).
  • Tomato cut into bitesize pieces

• Toddlers and picky eaters
  • Serve as you would for adults
  • For picky eaters you can make a separate tray of plain bulgur wheat but in my experience cutting the onion and garlic super small so it is invisible is the best way to introduce them to eat it
    • Serve the shrimp and bulgur separately

Tips and Tricks

Chop up onion and garlic finely. This is a must especially if you are serving to kids. They generally don't like seeing bits of onion.

Add cheese and olive oil while the bulgur is hot. This way it just melts through and it becomes super creamy.

FAQ and Variations

Can I reheat this? Yes, I would add it to the oven again, drizzle some olive oil, mix it and place in the oven on a low heat (150°C / 300°F) for 10 minutes.

Can I freeze it? It won't freeze well because it will make the bulgur wheat all stodgy.

Can I use a different grain? Bulgur is the king of the oven baked grains. Quinoa does not bake well. Of course you can use rice but you need to cover it with foil and bake for 35 minutes.

Make it vegetarian. Mushrooms or asparagus would work wonderfully here.

Make it as a side dish and add some grilled salmon.

More easy healthy oven-baked recipes like this

• Mediterranean Summer Salad for Every Day

• Oven-baked Spanish Tortilla (Spanish Omelette)

• Crispy Roasted Chickpea Gyros

Recipe