Decadent Mushroom Risotto
After being away on vacation and eating out every dinner, it is nice to cook a meal at home.
My daughter requested mushroom risotto.
Really?
Rice that is cooked al dente and tastes so creamy without adding any cream.
The Parmesan has a nutty taste and adds the perfect saltiness.
It takes a while – like a good 45 minutes to make even after all ingredients are ready to go.
What I do for my kids, not sure they know how good they have it, LOL!
Risotto gets its creaminess from stirring the Arborio rice (must use this to make risotto)
for a long period of time. The starch is released and gives it a creaminess.
Mixing in freshly grated Parmesan helps too.
Basically, you sauté an onion and garlic in a little butter and olive oil, toast the rice,
add white wine, then chicken stock, and more chicken stock, etc.
Finish it off with grated Parmesan and the sautéed mushrooms.
If your family doesn’t like mushrooms, use frozen green peas, or fresh asparagus (already cooked),
or fresh spinach, you get the idea. Use whatever veggies your family eats.
I also added some sautéed chicken breast and chopped chives.
We had it with an arugula, watermelon, feta salad with balsamic and pine nuts. Yum!
INGREDIENTS (Serves 8 to 12)
For Mushrooms:
2 – 20 oz packages of white mushrooms and/or portabella mushrooms
(I know this sounds like a lot, but by the time they are cooked down,
it’s not that much, and also, this makes the risotto more filling and less carbs per serving)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
salt & pepper
For the Risotto:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 to 6 cloves chopped garlic
salt & pepper
2 cups Arborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
8 cups low sodium or unsalted chicken stock, feel free to use veggie stock if you want to keep it vegetarian
1 ½ cups finely grated Parmesan
2 Tablespoons chopped chives
DIRECTIONS
Prep all the ingredients. You could even do some of this the day before.
Clean and slice the mushrooms.
Sauté in small batches with a little olive oil and butter.
DO NOT put salt & pepper on until they are sautéed.
I’m telling you. Wait until the end when they are all cooked, then season them together.
Chop your onion, and garlic. Grate your cheese.
If you have everything ready to go, you’ll be much happier and
won’t be standing in your kitchen for a crazy amount of time chopping. 😊
For the Risotto:
Melt the butter in a LARGE skillet.
Add the olive oil and sauté the onion for 5 to 7 minutes until translucent.
Then add the garlic and a little bit of salt and pepper.
Add the Arborio rice and cook a few minutes, until it starts to get toasted.
Add the white wine and stir until there is no liquid.
Add the chicken stock about ½ cup at a time and stir constantly until the liquid is absorbed.
This is a great job for the kids to help with if they are okay to stand by the stove safely.
40 minutes is a long time to stir.
After 7 cups of stock have been added, taste a little bit of the rice.
How does it taste to you?
Way too al dente for me, so I added the 8th cup of stock and it was perfect!
Then add the Parmesan, and then the sauteed mushrooms.
Sprinkle the chives on top when serving.
Enjoy!
⇒Now, here are the directions with some pics, just for you!
Prep all the ingredients. You could even do some of this the day before.
Clean and slice the mushrooms.
Sauté in small batches with a little olive oil and butter.
DO NOT put salt & pepper on until they are sautéed.
I’m telling you. Wait until the end when they are all cooked, then season them together.
Chop your onion, and garlic. Grate your cheese.
If you use the pre-grated stuff in the plastic container, that’s fine too,
just adjust your salt accordingly. I find that the cheese in the plastic containers
on the shelf taste more salty than when you grate it fresh.
If you have everything ready to go, you’ll be much happier and
won’t be standing in your kitchen for a crazy amount of time chopping. 😊
For the Risotto:
Melt the butter in a LARGE skillet.
Add the olive oil and sauté the onion for 5 to 7 minutes until translucent.
Then add the garlic and a little bit of salt and pepper.
Add the Arborio rice and cook a few minutes, until it starts to get toasted.
Add the white wine and stir until there is no liquid.
Add the chicken stock about ½ cup at a time and stir constantly until the liquid is absorbed.
This is a great job for the kids to help with if they are okay to stand by the stove safely.
40 minutes is a long time to stir.
After 7 cups of stock have been added, taste a little bit of the rice.
How does it taste to you?
Way too al dente for me, so I added the 8th cup of stock and it was perfect!
Then add the Parmesan.
Add cooked mushrooms or any other veggies you’d like to add.
Sprinkle the chives on top when serving. (OK, and maybe a little more Parmesan?)
I served it with some sautéed chicken breast and an arugula salad. Delicious!
We had enough for the 4 of us for 2 nights and still a little more leftover for my husband for lunch.
It is very filling and my ratio of veggies to risotto is probably more than necessary, but it is still extremely tasty!
Are you getting hungry yet? ♥
