Mushroom Risotto has become my new favorite food. Whenever I see it on a restaurant menu, I order it. It is often featured on a lot of the food shows I love to watch. These amazing chefs cook risotto often and make it look so easy, yet a little daunting. I decided I really wanted to learn how to make Mushroom Risotto and you guys, I did it! It turned out wonderfully and I want to share it with you. I think you can do it, too.
Mushroom Risotto takes only a few ingredients. Mushrooms, an onion, garlic, rice and parmesan cheese is all you need. Another main ingredient is patience. Risotto needs to be cooked low and slow.
How to Make Mushroom Risotto
1. Slice and sauté the mushrooms. Using several types of mushrooms gives it depth of flavor. While at Costco, I saw the regular white button mushrooms and cremini mushrooms. There was a box of shiitake mushrooms, which I had never seen before, and I thought, hey, I think I will make mushroom risotto.
I used all three kinds of mushrooms. There are a lot of people who suggest using other mushrooms like oyster, pecorino, chanterelle, and beach. These mushrooms are not conveniently available where I live. Thus, the reason I used cremini, button and shiitake. Cooking them in batches and not crowding the pan works well. The mushrooms cook quickly and you want to get a little crusty, brown side on them.
There are a lot of mushrooms in this risotto. If you are not a mushroom lover, please reduce the mushrooms by half and use only 3/4 cups. Mushrooms are mostly water and reduce greatly when cooked.
2. Melt about a tablespoon of butter each time you put a new batch of mushrooms in the pan. Try and not stir too often. If you want soft mushrooms and not crunchy mushrooms, stir as often as you like. I used about 1 1/2 cups of each type of mushroom. Dividing them in half and cooking two batches of each worked best for me. Once the mushrooms are sautéed, set them aside and start cooking the rice.
Use YOUR Favorite Types of Mushrooms.
3. Dice an onion into small pieces. Using my food processor, is my favorite way to chop onions. If you want chunkier pieces, slice by hand using a large chef’s knife.
Grate or chop the garlic cloves. These will be added to the diced onions after they turn translucent. Using the small side of a box grater is an easy way to get small even pieces of garlic. Use your chef’s knife to gently push on the cloves to break the skins. This will loosen the skin which you will now pull off of the clove of garlic.
4. Sauté the onions. Place the onions in the same pan as the mushrooms. Add a little butter or olive oil. Start to cook the onion on medium heat. When the onions look translucent add the grated or chopped garlic. Mix well and then add the rice. The rice needs to toast for about three minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Add 3/4 cup of chicken broth to the rice and onions. Stir everything until the chicken broth is well incorporated. Reduce the heat to keep the pan on a low boil. The secret to great risotto is gradually adding the liquid and stirring. The slow release of the starch in the rice is what makes the risotto creamy and delicious.
Other Sides on Dina’s Diner You Might Like
Low and slow is what makes risotto creamy.
Many of you know that I love to make my own chicken broth. I love using Knorr’s Chicken Granules and adding it to hot water. Feel free to use purchased chicken broth, if you love that. Chicken granules are purchased in a canister and take up little room in my pantry. Are you paying for water and shipping in chicken broth, or is it the taste? I would love your comments at the end of this post.
Mix the chicken bouillon granules with hot water. Adding warm chicken broth to the rice will help keep the risotto creamy.
Do you buy your chicken broth or make it?
6. Cook the rice until the chicken broth is almost cooked out. Keep stirring every minute or so. Add another 3/4 cup of chicken broth and keep doing this until almost all the chicken broth has been added. This step takes about 45 minutes.
7. When you get to the last 3/4 cup of chicken broth, add in 3/4 of the sautéed mushrooms and one cup of grated parmesan cheese. Mix everything together and you are ready to serve. Top each serving with a few more mushrooms and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
There are a lot of mushrooms in this dish. If you are not a huge mushroom lover, I would reduce the mushrooms to 3/4 cups of each kind before sautéing the mushrooms.
Here are a few products I like to use when making Mushroom Risotto.
When you purchase items from the Amazon links below, I receive a small commission.
Let me know on Instagram or Facebook if you make this. Post a picture and tag me @dinasdiner.
Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups Cremini Mushrooms
- 1 1/2 Cups Button Mushrooms
- 1 1/2 Cups Shitake Mushrooms
- 1/2 Cup Butter
- 1 Onion
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 1/2 Cups Arborio Rice
- 6 Cups Water
- 6 tsp. Chicken Bouillon
- 1 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- 1. Slice the mushrooms and begin to sauteé in one tablespoon of butter. This is a lot of mushrooms. If you are not a mushroom lover, reduce them to 3/4 cup.
- Continue to slice mushrooms. Use butter as needed. Sauteé all mushrooms and set aside.
- Dice and sauté the onion. Use the same pan as the mushrooms and use butter as needed.
- Skin and grate the garlic cloves.
- When the onions have turned translucent, add the grated garlic and rice.
- Cook the rice on medium heat, stirring constantly, for three minutes until the rice turns white and is a little toasted.
- Mix the chicken bouillon in hot water and stir.
- Add 3/4 cup of chicken broth to the rice dish. Keep the temperature low and stir until the chicken broth is well mixed. Continue to cook on a low heat until the chicken broth has almost cooked out.
- Continue to add 3/4 cup of chicken broth at a time and cook, stirring occasionally. Continue doing this until the chicken broth is almost used.
- When you add the last 3/4 up of chicken broth, add in 3/4 of the mushrooms and one cup of parmesan cheese.
- When serving the risotto, top with left over mushrooms and grated parmesan.
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