Bacon and Wild Mushroom Risotto with Baby Spinach

Risotto can be made into a complete meal when vegetables and meat are added. The choices of combinations are endless. This recipe says to use a combination of wild mushrooms, but I like to stick with the baby bellas and the button mushrooms. There are some wild mushrooms that remind me of other things such as squid tentacles and frog legs. Thanks, but no thanks!
This particular risotto has an amazing smoky flavor, thanks to the crispy bacon. I also chose to sprinkle a little of the cheese on top of the risotto after serving instead of mixing it in. Therefore, I used less cheese and saved a few calories.




Ingredients:
4 cups chicken stock
6 bacon slices, chopped
1 cup chopped shallots
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces wild mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/3 cup dry sherry
4 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup (2-ounces) grated fresh Asiago cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil); keep warm over low heat.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon to pan; cook 8 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon. Add shallots, oil, thyme, and garlic to drippings in the pan; cook 6 minutes or until shallots are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in mushrooms; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in sherry; cook 1 minute or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup stock; cook 4 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of stock is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total).

I recommend pulling up a chair to save your feet. :)

Stir in spinach; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in cheese, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with bacon.
Yield: 5 servings

Nutritional Info (per 1 1/4 cups risotto and 1 Tablespoon bacon):
405 calories; 19.1g fat; 38mg cholesterol; 145mg calcium; 42.6g carbs; 555mg sodium; 16.5g protein; 3.5g fiber; 2.4mg iron

Source: adapted from Cooking Light