If there’s one thing that I absolutely love, it’s experimenting with food and making unique dishes. Yes, pasta is good and grilled chicken is good, but those are too plain-Jane for me. I need to spice things up and make unique foods that are fun to eat, and this Sartu di Riso was definitely unique!
First things first: I did not come up with the concept of this dish. I would be a genius if I had, but no, this dish has been around for ages. Sartu di Riso is a traditional Neapolitan dish where rice is molded into a crust that gets filled with meatballs, sauce, veggies, cheese, and sometimes eggs. However, there are several different versions of this dish that can be made, and like any dish, this recipe is slightly different from household to household.
I came across the concept of this dish when I was watching the Food Network on TV and saw Giada de Laurentiis making a Sartu di Riso in a bundt pan. By the end of her show, my mouth was watering and I knew I wanted to re-create this dish. I got started looking up different recipes online, and I found that some recipes were made in traditional casserole dishes, while others were fancy and made in bundt cake pans. I knew right away that I wanted to go for the fancy version and make mine in a bundt pan!
When it came time for me to start making this dish, I got a little bit of a later start than I was hoping, so I didn’t have all that much time before my parents got home from work and would be hungry for dinner. Even though I got the common consensus that most Sartu di Riso recipes were stuffed with ground meet in addition to homemade meatballs, I didn’t feel like taking the time to make my own homemade meatballs, so instead, I improvised with what I had and made it work. That’s the beauty of recipes – no one said you had to make them exactly like the original recipe. You have the freedom to customize a recipe however you’d like, and that’s just what I did with this dish! We had some leftover Italian sausage links that we had grilled the day before, so I cut three of those up and added them to the mixture. Just as good, right?! I’m sure I’ll get around to making this dish with meatballs one day, but for now, the sausage worked just perfectly.
Surprisingly, this dish was much easier and quicker than I expected it to be. In no time at all, I had the rice cooked, the filling cooked, and I was ready to start assembling. Personally, I chose to melt some butter to grease the bottom and sides of the pan – this way, there would be a little extra flavor and richness added. However, oil works just as well!
Next, it was time to press the rice mixture into the pan. When I made it, I put about 2/3 of the rice mixture into the bottom of the pan, however I think this was too much. I would recommend using half (at most) of the rice mixture in the bottom of the bundt pan, and then using the rest on top of the filling. This way, when you flip the pan after it’s done baking, there will be more rice to help support the cake when you flip it. Also, here’s another tip: be sure to coat not only the bottom of the pan, but also up the sides of the bundt pan, as well.
When the rice mixture is pressed down, it’s time to add the filling. Now you’re going to have a lot of extra filling, so don’t add all of it to the pan! I’d say to use about 2/3 or so of the meat mixture, but use your best judgement and make sure there’s still enough room for the remaining rice at the top of the pan.
After the filling is in the pan, I topped it with a few slices of cheese, and then I topped it with the remaining rice mixture and a sprinkle of breadcrumbs. Then, it was into the oven it went, and I got started cleaning up the mess I had made! In no time at all, the Sartu di Riso was baked and ready to be removed from the oven.
Even though I wanted to dig in right away, I let the dish cool for about 20 minutes in its pan before completely removing it. I was in a bit of a rush so I only waited 20 minutes, however if you have more time to wait, I would recommend waiting at least 30-40 minutes before trying to remove it from the pan. When you are ready, hold a plate over top of the pan, flip the pan, and hope that it comes out clean!
Unfortunately, as you can see, mine did not come out very clean. When I first flipped the pan, only the bottom rice mixture came out, and the filling/remaining rice was still stuck in the pan. I was so bummed! I took a rubber spatula and ran it around the edges of the pan, flipped it back over, and luckily, the rest came out without an issue. So now do you see why I mentioned that it would be best to add most of the rice mixture on the top of the filling? I added too much to the bottom, and I think that weighed everything down and crushed the dish when I tried to flip it. But even though it wasn’t perfect, it still looked pretty good! Almost like a giant sandwich.
When I set the table with all the food, my dad walked in and said, “Oh… you baked us another cake?” (I had just made them an apple cake for dessert two days before). I just looked at him and said, “do you think I would serve you cake for dinner? Look closely!” Sure enough, he looked again and realized that it wasn’t a dessert, but that it was, in fact, dinner!
Since there was a ton of extra filling, I placed it on the side, and that way my parents could place a slice of the Sartu di Riso onto their plates and top it with more filling. Once they dug in, they were really impressed. My mom could immediately pick out the flavors that I used, and she said she really liked this dish. My dad was also a big fan, but he said there was too much rice compared to filling. However, as soon as he topped it with the extra filling, he said it was much better. So if anything, just don’t forget to top it with extra filling! And don’t put too much rice on the bottom of the pan!
- RICE:
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 cups Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 3 eggs
- FILLING:
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 16 oz. ground Italian sausage
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 2 cans (15-oz. each) crushed tomatoes, undrained
- 2 TBSP tomato paste
- 3-4 cups fresh spinach (or 1 cup frozen)
- 3 fresh basil leaves, torn apart
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ½ - ¾ cup sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 tsp. each: dried basil, dried oregano
- 1 TBSP dried parsley flakes
- ½ tsp. each: black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 cup green peas, thawed
- OTHER:
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp. Italian-style bread crumbs, divided
- 2 tbsp. olive oil or melted butter
- Add the Arborio rice, chicken broth, and salt to a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer over low heat until the liquid is absorbed.
- Pour the rice into a large bowl to cool completely. Once cool, stir in the parmesan and eggs, then set aside.
- While the rice is cooling, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the sausage to the pan. Cook until browned, breaking it apart with a spoon.
- Add the onion, garlic, and carrots to the pan and cook until onions have softened, stirring constantly.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, spinach, basil, cheeses, and spices, then bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the peas and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Prepare the bundt pan by drizzling 2 TBSP olive oil all over the interior of the pan.
- Dust it with ¼ cup breadcrumbs, making sure to coat the entire interior of the pan.
- Press half of the cool rice mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the bundt pan.
- Use a ladle to spoon enough sauce/meat mixture to nearly fill the rice well – there will be a lot leftover.
- Press the remaining rice evenly over the filling, making sure to seal the edges.
- Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs over the rice.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden-brown and the middle no longer looks watery or jiggly.
- Cool on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes.
- When ready to remove, place an inverted plate onto the pan. Flip the pan and plate over, then lift the pan off of the rice. Pour the remaining sauce into the center well or on top. Serve with fresh cheese and fresh basil.
