Creamy Mushroom Risotto
Oven-baked, Creamy Mushroom Risotto recipe is ready in 45-minutes, uses only one baking dish, and is a no-stir risotto! No standing, stirring or sauteeing required!
Risotto is the name of a classic Italian rice dish that can be served as a side dish or entree. The creamy, short-grain Arborio rice is a high-starch rice, which absorbs a lot of liquid, resulting in a creamy texture, but not mushy. This pairs beautifully with beef tenderloin or fish.
Ingredients
This easy, creamy risotto recipe relies on simple ingredients. You will need a Dutch oven or a large baking dish with a lid.
- Arborio rice – this is a short-grain, high-starch Italian rice that you’ll find on the rice aisle in the grocery store. Do not substitute Arborio for another short-grain or long-grain rice. Why? Arborio rice has more of the starch amylopectin than other types of rice.
- Chicken broth – or chicken stock; get a high-quality, rich chicken stock if you can. You can use lightly salted water, but I find the chicken stock adds a little depth to the flavor
- Cheese – traditional risotto recipes use fresh grated Parmesan. For best results, use a high-quality Parmesan cheese or Pecorino-Romano cheese
- Onion – optional; this creamy risotto recipe uses yellow onion, but you can use white onion, sweet yellow onion, or no onion!
- Mushrooms – optional; if you don’t like mushrooms, omit them. As an option, you can add in a few green peas to the risotto right before serving
- Garlic -optional; again, if you don’t like garlic, omit it; I used minced garlic from the jar for this recipe
- Heavy cream – some risotto recipes do not use cream because the Arborio rice and Parmesan cheese are usually creamy enough; if you don’t have heavy cream, use more cheese. I use a little cream in my homemade risotto because I wanted a slightly sweet flavor to pair with the earthy mushroom flavor
- Lemon juice-fresh lemon juice or a little dry white wine; either of these give the risotto a hint of acidity, which adds to the flavor profile
- Oil or butter – a little bit of high-quality olive oil or butter is added right before serving
How to make creamy mushroom risotto
First things first, do NOT rinse the arborio. We want to keep that high starch content because that’s what creates the creaminess of a really good risotto!
- Preheat oven to 350°F; remove heavy cream from the refrigerator and set aside
- Add arborio rice, chicken broth, chopped onions, mushrooms and garlic to a Dutch oven; give it a quick stir, cover and bake on the middle rack for 45-minutes
- Once done, remove from oven, add butter, Parmesan cheese, room temperature heavy cream and lemon juice (or dry white wine) and combine; season to taste with salt and pepper
Recipe tips
- Do not substitute another type of rice for Arborio rice for this creamy risotto recipe
- Do not rinse the rice; we want to preserve that high-starch content
- If you think your creamy mushroom risotto is too thick after you’ve added the cream, butter and cheese, drizzle in a little more chicken broth and combine well
Make ahead, storage and reheating
This dish is best when served right after it’s cooked. If you make it in advance, keep it covered and on a warm stove burner for up to 15 minutes. To reheat risotto, put it in a saucepan on the stove (you will have to add a little water upon reheating, as the risotto thickens upon refrigeration.) You can freeze this up to 3 months; thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating on the stove.
Serve this creamy mushroom risotto with steak, shrimp, fish or with mustard pork tenderloin!
More Italian recipes
Creamy Mushroom Risotto
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot with a lid
Ingredients
- 2 cups arborio rice Read the recipe notes below first!
- 5 cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- 1 cup finely diced fresh mushrooms
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F; dice onions and mushrooms; get the heavy cream out of the refrigerator and set all this aside
- Pour broth and rice into Dutch oven; add chopped onion, mushrooms and garlic; stir, cover and bake on middle rack for 45 minutes2 cups arborio rice, 5 cups chicken stock, ½ cup finely diced onion, 1 cup finely diced fresh mushrooms, ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- Remove from oven, add butter, shredded cheese, room temperature heavy cream and lemon juice; combine well; season to taste with salt and pepper¼ cup heavy cream, 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
