Mushroom risotto is the perfect dish in its simplicity and ease to make. It is rich and creamy and makes for a perfect meal or side dish for and chicken, beef or fish dish.
Risotto is one of those dishes that just make you feel good. There are so many versions but this is my go to recipe. It is easy to make and tastes fantastic. One of my favorite parts is that it is great as a meal on its own or can be a perfect side dish for so many other proteins. It also makes for great leftovers and it is perfect for meal prep. Â It is also a wonderful vegetarian dish.
In this recipe
There aren’t many ingredients for this recipe which makes it a great dish for those that like to keep things simple.
Broth: you can use either vegetable or chicken broth for this recipe. While I prefer chicken broth both work excellently for this dish.
Arborio rice: there aren’t many rice grains that make good risotto, so it is important to find arborio rice for this dish.
White wine: this is going to give the rice a defined flavor so make sure it is a dry wine that you enjoy drinking.
Why arborio rice?
This is the most commercially available of the types of rice you can use for risotto. Why the kind of rice is important is to make sure that there is enough starch in them to give you that creamy texture without turning into porridge. There are a couple of other grains of rice you can use one is Carnaroli and if you can get your hands on this type of rice you will get some of the creamiest risotto you will ever make. The other is Vialone Nano which is less starchy than the other two.
Toast the rice first for perfect risotto
This is one of the most important steps in making risotto. You want to toast all of the rice before adding the wine. This will help the rice keep its shape and stop it from breaking while cooking due to the constant stirring. Once the rice starts becoming fragrant and smells like grain you will add your wine for a instant hit of flavor that will stay in the rice. Once that wine cooks down and gets absorbed it is time for the broth.
For perfect mushroom risotto keep the broth hot.
This step is important as you don’t want to add cool or cold liquid to the hot rice. This will cause the rice to immediately stop cooking and you will end up with hard rice at the end that might break depending on how often it went from hot to cold. Always have the broth on a simmer or on low heat. You want to see steam whisps. It is also important to keep the rice in liquid and stir so everything cooks evenly. This will give you the richest sauce and a perfect mushroom risotto.
Looking for other rice recipes?
Mushroom Risotto
Equipment
- Sauce pan
- Skillet
- Ladle or measuring cup
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 ½ pounds mushrooms sliced
- 1 ½ cup arborio rice
- 1 cup white wine
- ½ cup shallots chopped
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ cup pecorino cheese grated
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoon chives chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Heating the stock
- In a sauce pan heat the stock until it starts steaming and reduce to a simmer and keep hot while cooking the rice.
Cooking the mushrooms
- In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat and add the mushrooms and salt and cook until they are tender and have released their juices, about 5-8 minutes. Pour all of the mushrooms and their juices into a bowl. Cover and set aside.
Making the risotto
- Wipe out the pan and add the remaining olive oil and the shallots. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the arborio rice and cook for another 2 minutes or until the rice becomes fragrant and starts to brown.
- Add the wine, reduce the heat to medium and cook until almost all of the wine has reduced. Add the broth 1 ladle at a time or ¾ of a cup and stir. Cook until almost all the liquid is absorbed and repeat until almost all of the broth is gone.
- When you have the last addition of broth add along with the ¾ of the mushrooms and their juices, chives, parmesan and pecorino. Stir until combined and creamy.
- Top with the remaining mushrooms and any additional chives and cheese before serving.
Nutrition
