Risotto is one of the most delicious rice dishes one could ever eat. It's also garnered a reputation as being one of the most difficult to cook -- but that's not entirely true. As you'll see in the recipes below, if you follow a few specific steps to cook risotto, you'll be amazed at just how easy it can be. Perhaps you'll even be persuaded to make risotto more often!

The one common theme here that makes making risotto super easy is a slow cooker. If you've never made risotto in your slow cooker, now's the time to start. Making slow cooker risotto is much easier than standing over the stove and fussing with it. Even with the slow cooking time, the risotto doesn't lose any of its characteristic texture or flavor.

Slow cooker risotto
So many people love risotto, yet so few people enjoy making it. It's not hard to see why. Risotto is all about pampering the dish, which includes -- among other things -- stirring it for the entire 20 to 30 minutes it takes to cook. As you'll see in the recipe below, you don't have to go to all that trouble. Just pour everything into a slow cooker, then come back a little while later to perfectly cooked risotto. Get the full recipe here.

Slow cooker butternut squash risotto
One of the many delicious things about risotto is that you can put just about whatever you want in it, including butternut squash. And when you cook it in the slow cooker, as in the recipe that follows, the squash becomes super tender, perfectly complementing the tender rice. Several types of cheeses such as gorgonzola or creamy goat cheese go very well with butternut squash, so play around with those too. Get the full recipe here.

Slow cooker mushroom risotto
Mushrooms might not be anything new to risotto, but cooking it in a slow cooker is for many people. When you use the slow cooker for this dish, as in the recipe that follows, you don't have to worry about adding liquid in small amounts or constantly stirring. Just add in all the ingredients, then come back to a side dish, or even an entire meal, that's as comforting as it is delicious. Get the full recipe here.

Garlic Parmesan risotto
A garlic and Parmesan risotto is one of the most basic types of this dish. Once you master it, play around with the ingredients however you choose; the recipe that follows is how most risottos start. Luckily, because this dish is made entirely in the slow cooker, there's not a lot to master. Get the full recipe here.

Slow cooker barley and chickpea risotto
If you've never tried to make risotto in your slow cooker, it should be the next item on your menu. Making slow cooker risotto is much easier than standing over the stove and fussing with it. Even with all the slow cooking time it doesn't lose any of its characteristic texture or flavor. Plus, you don't even have to use traditional arborio rice to do it. As you can see in the recipe that follows, barley is an ideal stand-in for rice. Get the full recipe here.

Slow cooker shrimp risotto
Shrimp risotto is so delightfully delicious and unexpected in so many ways. It often includes tomato paste, as in the recipe that follows, which gives it just the right amount of tartness and tanginess. And of course, the shrimp gives it a slight, tasty twist. Get the full recipe here.

Slow cooker sausage risotto
I like to think of risotto as a more sophisticated version of mac and cheese — creamy, cheesy, full of carbs and comforting. It’s also a pain to make if you do it on the stovetop, but this slow cooker version (recipe below) couldn’t be simpler or more delicious. Serve with a green salad for a satisfying meal. Get the full recipe here.

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