This recipe is part of my new Cooking for One series. On the first Sunday/Monday of each month, I’ll post a simple yet satisfying meal that is perfectly portioned for people cooking for themselves.
Risotto is Shawn’s favorite, but I cook it for myself from time to time as well. It may seem like a fussy dish, but if you use a pan with plenty of surface area, a single-sized portion cools up in no time.
The last few weeks have been cold and damp, and I’ve been craving comfort food. I came up with this recipe one rainy night when I hadn’t been to the grocery store and didn’t feel like leaving the house..Luckily, I know that as long as I have risotto rice in the cabinet, a satisfying meal is never far away!
Kale has been one of my favorite risotto mix-ins lately – it contributes a deep, earthy flavor to the rice and breaks up the texture to keep the dish from being too dense. I really love the way it paired with the crispy bacon in this recipe! Crowned with a runny yolked fried egg, this was easy enough to make for myself and delicious enough to serve to a crowd. It was a great reminder that just because I’m stuck cooking for just myself some nights, it doesn’t mean I can’t eat well!
Bacon & Kale Risotto with a Fried Egg
This risotto is made of simple pantry staples, but it’s full of rich and satisfying flavor. If you don’t have kale, a different hearty green such as chard or collard greens can be used instead. In a pinch, you could even use spinach, although the flavor of the final dish will be a little brighter and less earthy. Water is fine for cooking the rice, but vegetable stock adds more flavor – I keep a jar of Better than Bouillon organic vegetable base in the fridge for recipes like this. As written, this recipe serves one but it can easily be doubled or tripled if you need more servings.
Ingredients
- 1 slice thick-cut Bacon
- 2 cups Vegetable Stock, or water
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Onion
- 1/2 cup Arborio Rice, or other medium-grain risotto rice
- 1/4 cup White Wine
- 2 cups loosely packed Kale, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Butter
- 1 large Egg
- Coarse salt and freshly cracked Black Pepper for serving
Instructions
- Place the bacon in cool skillet set over medium-low heat. Cook, allowing the fat to slowly render out of the bacon, for 8-10 minutes, or until crisp. Remove the bacon and let drain on a paper towel. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat (or save the fat for another use).
- Bring the vegetable stock or water to a simmer in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low to keep warm.
- Add the chopped onion to the skillet with the reserved bacon fat. Cook the onion over medium heat until soft – about 5 minutes. Add the rice to the skillet. Stir so that each grain of rice is coated with bacon fat/ onion – the rice will appear glossy. Cook the rice for 3-4 minutes, or until it is translucent. Stir in the wine, scraping up any bits that have hardened in the bottom of the pan.
- Add 1 cup of the warm stock. Stir constantly until all of the stock has absorbed into the rice. Continue this process, adding the stock 1/4 cup at a time, until the rice is creamy and soft – the whole process will take about 20 minutes.
- Crumble the bacon. Stir the bacon and kale into the risotto – the heat from the rice will wilt the kale and it will be easier to stir in after a few minutes.
- Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, crack in the egg. Cook until the whites of the egg are just set (3-4 minutes). Serve the risotto on a plate topped with the fried egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
trying this asap!
Now this is my kind of meal! Love the risotto then how can you miss by putting a fried egg on top? Great recipe!
mm bacon and kale is such a great combo and then topped with a fried egg! And I love that the recipe is for 1, thanks for sharing.
I’m a bit disappointed to discover that this is a ‘new’ feature for you. I’m always on the lookout for recipes for one, they’re so hard to find. I live by myself, so need a LOT of recipes for one. Of course, I often figure out how to cut down a ‘regular’ recipe to make only one or two servings, but still, I love trying new things. I hope you continue this series. (The biggest problem in cooking for one? Finding foods packaged in small amounts at the grocery store. It’s easy to get exactly the amount of what you need in the produce section, but when it comes to meats, etc. not so much. I’ve learned to ‘butcher’ my own meats, sort of, so I can package and freeze them in single serving portions. But, it WOULD be nice to be able to purchase, say a single thigh/drumstick or a single chicken breast, or single SMALL steak, etc. I prefer meats that have never been frozen. It’s even harder to purchase small amounts of ‘organic’ meat and poultry. They don’t even sell organic, free range eggs in the half-dozen cartons as they do the non-organic eggs. I wonder why? Anyway, I’ll be back for more ideas. Thanks.
I’m in the process of going back through my archives and tagging a few more recipes that are appropriate for this topic – a good number of my older posts serve 2 so those might work for you too.
As for small portions – it is hard! In larger grocery stores, I’ve found that the butcher is usually willing to pack up smaller packages of meat if they have it in the back. If you have a local farmers market, you might have some luck if you talk to some of the vendors there. I know at the markets here, organic meat is usually in small packages than at the grocery store (and if you order ahead you can sometimes get some that hasn’t been frozen) and they may be willing to sell you a smaller number of eggs. It definitely frustrating though!
This does look great and an easy enough meal for one person.
I am often cooking for one but would never have thought to cook up a risotto for myself. With the fried egg on top this could be breakfast for dinner.
I love a fried egg on plain white rice. It reminds me of those nights when i lived at home with mom and she didnt feel like cooking. I love the additions for a more hearty comfort!
I really like the photo editing also! Very artistic 😛
there’s definitely no reason not to cook well for yourself just cause you’re eating alone (so says the single girl)…and fried eggs make everything better.
No reason not to, but its very easy to slip into a rut of grilled cheese and scrambled eggs!
someone has been playing around with a photo editing software 😉
Love anything with a fried egg on top and this also has bacon: winning combo!
I have been! Risotto may be delicious, but it’s kind of boring to look at. 😉 I’m not going to make a habit of it, but that photo needed a little something.
Bacon and/or eggs makes everything better!