After a fun, but long day shopping at Ikea with some friends, instead of building the bed frame that I bought, I decided to make a quick dinner and plop myself on the couch. This “no-rice risotto” is a recipe I had come across earlier in the week and was excited to try. It completely hit the spot and gave me the energy I needed the next day to tackle some bed building. Here is the recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Green Kitchen Stories…

1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 chard (slice the leaves into thin strips, cut the smaller stems into 1/4-inch dice, discard the larger stems)
2 cans (2 cups) cannellini beans (rinsed well)
4 tbsp mascarpone cheese
1/2 lemon, juice & zest
fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Bring vegetable broth to a bare simmer in a saucepan over medium heat and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion, garlic and the stems of the chard. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add one cup of the broth, cook and stir, until almost absorbed. Now add chard leaves, cannellini beans and the rest of the broth. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes, then add mascarpone cheese, lemon juice and thyme. Season with salt, pepper and more thyme if needed. Top it with some grated lemon zest before serving.