Mushroom Risotto

This is a risotto so good, it will make a grown man weep. A creamy, umami packed Mushroom Risotto fully loaded with garlicky, buttery mushrooms stirred through the risotto AND piled on top, it’s completely and utterly mouthwateringly delicious, can’t-stop-eating-it-good.

This is a fully loaded mushroom recipe – there’s 750g / 1.5 lb mushrooms in this!

Mushroom Risotto

It’s such a let down when you’re faced with a giant bowl of Mushroom Risotto, only to find you have to fish around desperately through piles of gluey rice to find a a few piddly bits of mushrooms.

Let me assure you, no fishing expedition will be required for this Mushroom Risotto!

(Let me also assure you there is no gluey rice in sight. Just creamy, silky, perfectly al dente risotto!?)

What goes in mushroom risotto

This risotto recipe is intended to be one that makes the most of ordinary mushrooms, rather than hunting down wild or Asian mushrooms, or using dried mushrooms which have a more intense mushroom flavour.

So this recipe is based around a rather large volume of either white or Swiss Brown/Cremini mushrooms!

Other than the mushrooms, there’s nothing unusual or groundbreaking in this recipe. It’s more about cooking technique (trust me, risotto is simple!).

Just a note on a few of the ingredients:

• Risotto rice – to make risotto, you need to use risotto rice which is called Arborio rice, it’s different to ordinary white rice because it’s got a higher level of starch on the surface which thickens the cooking liquid used and makes the risotto beautifully creamy;
• Cream –  I don’t ordinarily use cream in risotto because you don’t need it to make risottos creamy (see above point). In this particular recipe, I actually use it to add a touch of richness and to make the risotto white (you’ll see in the video it’s quite brown because of the mushrooms). It’s optional;
• Eschallots / French onions – baby onions that are finer than normal onions so they kind of “dissolve” into the risotto. Sub with 1/2 a normal onion, finely chopped; and
• Substitute for wine? Wine adds depth of flavour into risotto as well as deglazing the pot (ie dissolving the golden brown bits on the base of the pot from cooking the mushrooms into the wine which forms part of the flavour base)

How to make Mushroom Risotto

And here’s how to make it.

Busting risotto making myths!

There’s no need to stand over a hot stove stirring constantly for 30 minutes for creamy risotto. The liquid just needs to be added in 3 or 4 batches, and you only need to stir regularly towards the end. And I promise, your risotto is still going to be beautifully creamy and evenly cooked.

The concept of having to slowly add stock into the rice ladle by ladle for creamy risotto is a traditional method that was called for in the times when risotto was made by Italians in tall, narrow risotto pots. Tall narrow pot = high rice and liquid depth = must stir regularly for even cooking.

It’s been pretty well documented and tested by established food authorities such as Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats that if you use a wider pot, there’s no need to be so diligent.

For the best flavour, cook the mushrooms until golden then stir some back in at the end and reserve the rest to pile on top. Maximum taste – and it looks better too!

What to serve with Mushroom Risotto

Mushroom Risotto can be served either as a starter / appetizer, or as a main.

As a starter, serve smaller portions (remembering that this is quite rich!). For a protein main, try some of these:

• CRISPY Herb Baked Chicken with Gravy
• Crispy Pan Fried Fish – or serve this as the main with the Mushroom risotto on the side
• Garlic Prawns (Shrimp!)
• Roast Chicken – or a Slow Cooker Roast Chicken
• Pork Roast with Crispy Crackling
• Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib) or Marinated Roast Beef
• Slow Roast Leg of Lamb – or a classic Roast Lamb Leg

I usually serve it as a main course with a simple crisp green salad like a Rocket (Arugula) Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Shaved Parmesan. The peppery flavour of the Rocket lettuce is a classic pairing with rich, creamy dishes like this risotto. Bonus that it’s possibly the fastest side salad ever!! – Nagi x

PS For a Carb Blow Out, add a side of Garlic Bread or even Cheesy Garlic Bread!

Watch how to make it

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Mushroom Risotto

Author: Nagi

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 35 mins

Total: 50 mins

Mains, Starter

American-Italian, Italian, Western

5 from 18 votes

Servings4 - 5 people

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Recipe video above. Creamy, comforting Mushroom Risotto fully loaded with garlicky, buttery mushrooms stirred through the risotto AND piled on top. Mouthwateringly delicious, cosy food that's elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. It takes time to make mushrooms golden brown, but it's worth every minute - it's amazing!!

Ingredients

Mushrooms:

• 500g / 1 lb mushrooms , sliced 3 mm / 1/8" thick (Note 1)
• 250g / 1/2 lb mushrooms , quartered (Note 1)
• 3 tbsp (45g) butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper , each

Risotto:

• 1 tbsp (15g) butter
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 2 eschallots / French onions , finely chopped (or 1/2 onion)
• 1/4 cup (65 ml) dry white wine (Note 2)
• 1 1/4 cups (250g) arborio rice , uncooked
• 5 cups (1.25L) chicken broth/stock , low sodium, warm (Note 3)

Finishes:

• 1/2 cup (125 ml) cream , optional but recommended(Note 4)
• 2 tbsp (30g) butter , optional (Note 4)
• 1/2 cup (50g) parmesan cheese , finely grated
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper , each

Serving:

• Finely chopped parsley or chives
• Parmesan , freshly grated

Instructions

Garlic Butter Mushrooms

• Add 1 tbsp oil and half the butter in a large heavy based pot over high heat (Note 5). Once melted, add half the mushrooms and cook until pretty golden brown (~4 min).
• Add 1/2 the garlic, 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper, then continue to cook until golden brown (~1.5 min). Then remove into bowl.
• Repeat with remaining mushrooms, then remove.

Risotto

• Turn heat down to medium. In the same pot, melt butter then add garlic and onion.
• Cook 2 minutes until onion is translucent but not golden.
• Add wine and allow to simmer rapidly for 2 minutes, scraping the base of the pot, until mostly evaporated.
• Add rice and stir for 1 minute until semi translucent.
• Add about 1.5 cups of stock. Stir, then leave for 3 minutes, stirring just a few times, until mostly absorbed (~3 min).
• Add about 1.5 cups stock, stir every now and then until mostly absorbed (~3 min) - no need to stir constantly. Repeat twice more until all stock used up, rice is just cooked but risotto still creamy and sloppy (~10 min, Note 6).

Finishes

• Add cream and butter, stir vigorously to make creamy.
• Stir in parmesan, salt and pepper.
• Stir through half the mushrooms, then taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Consistency should be creamy, not stodgy (Note 7).
• Reheat remaining mushrooms (I microwave).
• Spoon risotto into bowls, then top with reserved mushrooms (including a drizzle of buttery juices pooled in bowl!)
• Garnish with parsley if using, and extra parmesan. Serve immediately!

Recipe Notes:

1. Mushrooms - just ordinary mushrooms, either white / button mushrooms or Swiss Brown/Cremini mushrooms.

I like slicing most and quartering some for texture variety in the dish. If your mushrooms are giant, cut into 1/6th of 1/8th.

Best to cook mushrooms until golden than remove. If you cook them with the rice, the mushrooms lose their colour (and colour = flavour!)

Will also work beautifully with other sliceable mushrooms like shiitake, and large mushrooms like portobello.

More exotic mushrooms (like Chanterelle, Morel) or Asian mushrooms like Enoki, Oyster, King Oyster mushrooms etc - use your judgement to cut to size so they can sautéed until golden and used as directed by this recipe.

2. White wine - any white wine will do here, though a dry one is best. Sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, Riesling. Even leftover champers would be fine!

3. Adding hot stock/broth slowly - it's been pretty well documented nowadays but food authorities such as Serious Eats that contrary to popular belief, you don't actually need the pot to be hot when making risotto (nor do you need to add gradually!). It doesn't make a difference to how evenly it cooks. But by force of habit, I still do it. Use any means that suits you - microwaving jug by jug, or have a saucepan on the adjacent stove.

4. Cream and extra butter for finishing - these are optional. The cream and butter adds extra richness for finishing (cream also makes risotto white). Still incredible without! I would choose cream over extra butter in this recipe.

5. Pot - I use a 26 cm / 11" Chasseur cast iron pot. If your pot is not as heavy it won't hold as much heat so I'd recommend sautéing in 3 batches otherwise you risk your mushrooms stewing (ie becoming watery) instead of golden brown.

6. Rice doneness - If rice still too firm once all stock used up, add 1/2 cup hot tap water at a time and stir until absorbed until rice cooked to your taste.

7. Finished consistency of risotto - "real" risotto, like you get at serious Italian restaurants, is so loose it will pool on a plate rather than holding its shape in a mound. It should never be so thick that when you dollop it on a plate, it holds its shape. For home purposes, I like mine to have a thicker consistency than restaurants. It still "oozes" when I serve it up, but it doesn't spread out flat like a sauce (see video).

8. Leftovers - will keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in microwave with a splash of milk and mix well to make it creamy again!

9. Nutrition per serving includes cream but excludes extra 2 tbsp butter.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 649kcal (32%)Carbohydrates: 63g (21%)Protein: 21g (42%)Fat: 36g (55%)Saturated Fat: 18g (113%)Cholesterol: 80mg (27%)Sodium: 1285mg (56%)Potassium: 962mg (27%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 890IU (18%)Vitamin C: 6mg (7%)Calcium: 191mg (19%)Iron: 4mg (22%)

Keywords: Mushroom Recipe, Mushroom risotto, risotto, risotto recipe

Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Originally published October 2019. Post tidied up January 2020 – no change to recipe!

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He has a pigeon hole at my mother’s house where I keep some of this things for the times when he stays over. He’s always snuffling around in there, hoping to score some treats!