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Mushroom Risotto

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!!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 4 - 5 people
Calories: 649 kcal
Course: Main Course , Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian , American , Italian-American Fussion

Ingredients

Mushrooms:
  • 500g (1 lb) mushrooms , sliced 3 mm / 1/8" thick (Note 1)
  • 250g (1/2 lb) mushrooms , quartered (Note 1)
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt and pepper , each
Risotto:
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 garlic clove , minced
  • 2 eschallots / French onions , finely chopped (or 1/2 onion)
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine (Note 2)
  • 1 1/4 cups arborio rice , uncooked
  • 5 cups chicken broth/stock , low sodium, warm (Note 3)
Finishes:
  • 1/2 cup cream , optional but recommended(Note 4)
  • 2 tbsp (30g) butter , optional (Note 4)
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese , finely grated
  • 1/2 tsp salt and pepper , each
Serving:
  • Finely chopped parsley or chives
  • parmesan , freshly grated

Instructions

Garlic Butter Mushrooms
    Cup of Yum
  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. Repeat with remaining mushrooms, then remove.
Risotto
  1. Turn heat down to medium. In the same pot, melt butter then add garlic and onion.
  2. Cook 2 minutes until onion is translucent but not golden.
  3. Add wine and allow to simmer rapidly for 2 minutes, scraping the base of the pot, until mostly evaporated.
  4. Add rice and stir for 1 minute until semi translucent.
  5. Add about 1.5 cups of stock. Stir, then leave for 3 minutes, stirring just a few times, until mostly absorbed (~3 min).
  6. 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
  1. Add cream and butter, stir vigorously to make creamy.
  2. Stir in parmesan, salt and pepper.
  3. Stir through half the mushrooms, then taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Consistency should be creamy, not stodgy (Note 7).
  4. Reheat remaining mushrooms (I microwave).
  5. Spoon risotto into bowls, then top with reserved mushrooms (including a drizzle of buttery juices pooled in bowl!)
  6. Garnish with parsley if using, and extra parmesan. Serve immediately!

Notes

  • 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.
  • White wine adds complexity and depth of flavour. Any white wine will do here, though a dry one is best. Sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, Riesling. Even leftover champers would be fine!
  • Can't consume alcohol? Substitute with more chicken stock.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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).
  • 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!
  • Nutrition per serving includes cream but excludes extra 2 tbsp butter.

Nutrition Information

Calories 649cal (32%) Carbohydrates 63g (21%) Protein 21g (42%) Fat 36g (55%) Saturated Fat 18g (90%) Cholesterol 80mg (27%) Sodium 1285mg (54%) Potassium 962mg (27%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 890IU (18%) Vitamin C 6mg (7%) Calcium 191mg (19%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4- 5 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 649

% Daily Value*

Calories 649cal 32%
Carbohydrates 63g 21%
Protein 21g 42%
Fat 36g 55%
Saturated Fat 18g 90%
Cholesterol 80mg 27%
Sodium 1285mg 54%
Potassium 962mg 20%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 5g 10%
Vitamin A 890IU 18%
Vitamin C 6mg 7%
Calcium 191mg 19%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.