Oh hey, guys! I turned my back for TWO SECONDS and it’s suddenly Fall. (Side note: I’ve also learned since our last chat that I will never be able to turn my back for two seconds again with a 6 month old.)

In honor of Fall, it seemed appropriate to share with you my latest comfort food creation coming out of our kitchen as the evenings get cooler. Risotto is a regular star in our dinner rotation but I was reluctant to try it without dairy. But like so many tiny tummies, our little man isn’t doing great with dairy and 80% of his calories are still coming from me so it’s it worth a short term hiatus to try and reinvent some favorites dairy free.

Brought to you by my favorite shopping list, known as “what’s in the freezer/pantry that might resemble a meal I can prepare while a baby loses his shit over dropping his teething cookie?”

• 3-4 Chicken Thighs
• 1/4 tsp Salt + more to season the chicken
• Black pepper to season the chicken to taste
• 1.5 Cups Arborio (Risotto) Rice
• 3.5 Cups Chicken Stock
• 4-6 Cloves of Garlic
• 3 Cups Crimini Mushrooms (about 8 large caps, stems discarded)
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil

I just realized I listed the ingredient in the exact reverse of how you’ll use them. I should claim I did it on purpose. In reality I’m reverse engineering a recipe with mom brain 24 hours after the fact.

Preheat your oven to 400 while you begin to prep. Heat your cast iron to medium high heat with the olive oil.

Slice your mushrooms and chop or crush your garlic. I used a press because it’s quick and easy, even if it seems inconsiderate to the integrity of the goodness that is a garlic clove.

Sauté the mushrooms and garlic for about 7-10 minutes until the mushrooms have reduced to about half their size.

Turn off the heat and add your rice, salt and broth. Stir and make sure the rice is distributed in an even layer across the bottom of the pan.

Salt and pepper your chicken thighs and arrange in the pan. I would note that I have a very deep cast iron. If yours doesn’t have sides at least 2” tall I’d recommend a Dutch oven. If you have neither I’m sure this would work in a casserole pan, but our kitchen is pretty addicted to cast iron, so perhaps consider treating yourself – it can’t be beat for so many cooking applications!

Bake for 1 hour until all the liquid has been absorbed.

That’s it. Cool and eat. No need to stir. You won’t miss the cheese (much) I swear. It’s still amazingly starchy and creamy and delicious. After 24 hours it’s officially gone and a repeat batch has been requested.