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This Simple Parmesan Mushroom Risotto Recipe is a simple comfort food dish that will please everyone. Just a few ingredients but packed full of earthy mushroom and tangy parmesan cheese flavors.
I love cooking shows. Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay being one that I particularly enjoy. But every season I watch him berate the Cheftestants for making bad risotto. I just don’t get it……
This Simple Parmesan Mushroom Risotto recipe is so simple to make. You really don’t even need to plan ahead to make it because pretty much all you need for it is in your pantry. Combined with the comfort food factor…..its a win/win dish.
What is Risotto?
People often confuse Risotto as a pasta dish, but its actually a rice dish.Risotto is a Northern Italian dish that is made with arborio rice.
How do you prepare the mushrooms for Risotto?
This post happens to be for a mushroom risotto recipe , but you could make it plain, with any fresh vegetables you have, or just toss in herbs and nuts. In this instance I’m making it with mushrooms so I purchased 2 different kinds. You will want to sauté to al dente any vegetables you are adding before starting the risotto.
Bear in mind that it may look like a lot of mushrooms but when you saute them, they will shrink a lot. In this photo it is the same amount of mushrooms before and after cooking.
Mushrooms take the comfort factor to a whole new level. I sauté the mushrooms to al dente before adding them in at the last minute. The earthy tones come out and add a depth of flavor to the dish. (This also is a bonus when making risotto for kids who hate mushrooms…..you can plate up their meals, then have all the extra delicious mushrooms for the people who love them.
I usually pick a wine I really like so we can have a glass with dinner, which these days are Rieslings. The wine is sweet enough to counter balance the saltiness of the Parmesan cheese, but light enough to not make the dish really heavy.
I prefer Rieslings with a slight effervescence (which is the result of the grapes grown in loam soil… my favorites being from Germany.)
Don’t be intimidated by the reality cooking shows that say its hard to make….because it isn’t……but then again you don’t have to tell anyone that…..It can be your secret.
Looking for other comfort food recipes to make during the week? Check both these recipes for easy weeknight entertaining!
Pin This recipe to your Easy Weeknight Meal Board so you have it when you are looking for things to make. If you would like to receive email updates when we have new posts up sign up for the mailing list on this page here where it says “join the west via midwest community! “
Yield: 4 serving
Simple Parmesan Mushroom Risotto
This Simple Parmesan Mushroom Risotto Recipe is a simple comfort food dish that will please everyone. Just a few ingredients but packed full of earthy mushroom and tangy parmesan cheese flavors.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Ingredients
Rissotto
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 2 small or 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup white wine, riesling suggested
- 2 cups good quality parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Mushrooms
- 1 # mushrooms sliced, any kind you prefer, pictures on blog with Porcini
- 1 tbs butter
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp tarragon
Instructions
Mushrooms
- In a sauté pan heat pan to medium high, then add the butter and olive oil and swirl around the pan.
- Once the butter has melted and olive oil is hot add the mushrooms and sauté until cooked thru.
- Add tarragon and mix thoroughly.
- Set aside off burner until ready to add to risotto.
Risotto
- In one pan bring chicken broth to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer.
- Turn on a second burner and bring a second pan to high heat. Ultimately this pan will be used to make the risotto, so use a sauté pan or a small/medium stock pot.
- Once pan is hot add in olive oil and swirl around to coat the entire bottom of pan, then reduce heat to medium.
- Add minced shallots and sauté until translucent and soft. Pay careful attention to not brown the shallots.
- Add Arborio rice and stir constantly, letting the rice toast in the pan until the center of the rice is translucent.
- Add wine and reduce until no liquid remains.
- Once wine has evaporated use a ladle to add chicken stock to rice. Add about 3/4 cup of stock at a time, letting rice slowly cook as the broth reduces. It is important to continually stir the rice while in this stage.
- Once broth has reduced to almost nothing then add the next ladle full.
- Continue doing this process until all chicken broth has been added. Rice should be al dente at this point. (this usually takes about 20-30 minutes to cook the rice).
- Add 1 1/2 cups of parmesan to rice, mix thoroughly.
- Add heavy cream to rice, allow it to absorb completely.
- Stir in cooked mushrooms into rice. Stir gently.
- Serve in bowl sprinkling some of the rest of the parmesan at the last minute before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
4 serving
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 653Carbohydrates: 41gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 32g
