Creamy Balsamic Mushroom Risotto
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Creamy Balsamic Mushroom Risotto is easy to make and uses pantry staples, freezer-friendly ingredients, and fresh veggies!
If you loved this recipe, you are going to love this Avocado Risotto too!
You are about to feel like a gourmet chef in your kitchen! Restaurant-quality risotto has never been easier to master.
Creamy Mushroom Risotto Recipe
Risotto is one of my favorite dishes to make because it can be a standalone meal or you can pair it with different vegetables or proteins. You really can’t go wrong!
So, what exactly is risotto? Risotto is a simple, easy, and delicious Italian dish that consists of rice cooked to a creamy consistency (without cream) by adding small bits of warm broth and stirring frequently!
The stirring releases starches which make the rice creamy and delicious!
Risotto Ingredients
Arborio Rice – Arborio rice is essential for making the perfect risotto!
Bone Broth – I used bone broth, but you can substitute it with chicken broth or vegetable broth.
Vegetables – You will need asparagus, peas (fresh or frozen), shallot, and a yellow onion.
Cheese – Parmesan cheese makes risotto soo creamy and adds a delicious nutty flavor.
Dry White Wine – I used a pinot grigio. If you don’t want to open a new bottle of wine, you can use white cooking wine instead.
Spices – You’ll only need a small handful of pantry staple spices and herbs from your cabinet like parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic, and powder.
Balsamic Mushroom Ingredients
Mushrooms – I used Shiitake Mushrooms, but you can also use button mushrooms or sliced portobello mushrooms!
Spices – Garlic, parsley, and thyme – fresh herbs are the best, but if you don’t have them you can use dried herbs instead.
Pantry staples – Balsamic vinegar, butter, and olive oil
How to Make Balsamic Mushrooms
1. Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 F and melt butter in a small bowl, then mix in the minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, parsley, thyme, and ½ tbsp sugar.
2. Prepare the mushrooms. Place the mushrooms in a cast-iron skillet or oven-safe baking dish and pour the butter mixture over them, tossing until fully coated.
3. Cook the mushrooms. Place the mushrooms in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, tossing once halfway through.
4. Toss with butter! When the mushrooms are finished, they should be slightly crisp around the edges and tender.
To finish, melt 2 tbsps of butter in a small bowl, mix with ½ tbsp of balsamic vinegar and mix it in with the mushrooms.
Pro-Tip: You can turn the oven off and leave the mushrooms inside to keep them warm while the risotto finishes cooking.
How To Make Risotto
1. Sauté the onions. While the mushrooms are baking, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet (I love my Staub 12” skillet for this) on medium heat.
Add the onion and the shallot and cook until the onions soften and just begin to caramelize. About 15-20 minutes. While the onions cook, bring the broth and water to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Cook the risotto. Reduce the heat of the skillet to medium-low and add the arborio rice and white wine to the pan with the onions, stirring until the rice is fully coated.
Add a ladleful of broth; stir and wait until it is absorbed before adding another ladleful stirring gently and constantly.
When you have used up half the broth, season the risotto with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Continue adding broth until the rice is creamy, tender to the bite, but slightly firm in the center.
*total time should be about 25-30 minutes from the time you started.
3. Mix in the cheese and veggies. When all the liquid is absorbed, mix in the parmesan cheese, peas, and asparagus.
Divide the risotto and mushrooms between bowls and serve immediately. Garnish with parmesan and fresh parsley.
Questions You Might Have About This Recipe:
Why Arborio Rice for Risotto?
Arborio rice is used for risotto because as it cooks, it releases starch creating that perfect creamy consistency.
While this recipe is easy to make it requires a watchful eye and a bit of babysitting at the stove as it should be stirred very frequently while you add the warm broth in small amounts.
If you don’t have arborio rice, you can try using any rice you have on hand (except instant or minute rice).
Note, if you substitute the rice, it will not be quite as creamy and the flavor profile will be slightly different. I have not tried risotto with a different rice, so I can’t tell you exactly how it will come out!
Pro-Tips for Cooking Risotto
Risotto can seem intimidating since we often enjoy it at fancy restaurants, but real talk, it’s pretty easy…easy enough to master at home! Here are a few tips for success.
- Pre-cook your mushrooms (or veggies). When adding veggies to risotto, you want to heat everything through but the veggies should be pre-cooked.
- If you have time, toast the rice. Just like grilled chicken or the brown bits at the bottom of beef stew, brown = flavor. Toast the rice slightly in olive oil for the best flavor (not too dark, just a bit golden).
- Stir frequently Stirring helps release starches resulting in a creamy dish.
- Add broth in small doses This step is essential! When you add broth, allow it to evaporate (while frequently stirring) before adding more. This is a bit tedious but worth the time is you are looking for that perfect creamy risotto!
What Goes With Mushroom Risotto
Risotto is an incredible dish that has the ability to really elevate a meal! That said there are many things you can pair it with.
Try serving it with a simple baked or air-fried chicken breast or salmon to really let the risotto shine!
You could also serve your risotto with a chilled salad, steamed veggies, or my personal favorite, shrimp!
What to Do with Leftovers?
Leftover risotto…if there is any, can be kept in the fridge and reheated for leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop!
To reheat your risotto, add a splash of broth to the leftovers as you reheat it and stir until your risotto has been brought back to life (its creamy state). Refresh the flavors with some salt and pepper and serve again, just like new.
What is mushroom risotto made of?
Risotto is made of arborio rice, slow-cooked in stock with parmesan cheese.
What can I add to risotto?
Should you put cream in risotto?
Classic Italian risotto does not have any cream in the recipe. However, if you were to add cream, it is not a kitchen or culinary sin.
IF you want to add cream to your risotto recipe, it should be only to improve the risotto’s richness and flavor, not texture.
More Mushroom Recipes To Try
- Whipped Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
- Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms
- Maple Miso Mushroom Rice Bowls
- Mushroom Hasselback Potato Gratin
- Mushroom Bolognese Sauce
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Creamy Balsamic Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
For the risotto
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 4 cups bone broth*
- 1 cup water
- 6-8 asparagus stalks, ends trimmed and stalks diced
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 small yellow onion, or half of a large onion, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup dry white wine*
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley*
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the balsamic mushrooms
- 10 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 tablespoon cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley*
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme*
Instructions
For the balsamic mushrooms
- Preheat the oven to 400° F and melt 3 tbsps of butter in a small bowl, then mix in the minced garlic, 3 tbsps of balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp of olive oil, parsley, thyme, and 1/2 tbsp sugar. Place the mushrooms in a cast iron skillet or oven safe baking dish and pour the butter mixture over them, tossing until fully coated.
- Place the mushrooms in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, tossing once halfway through. When the mushrooms are finished, they should be slightly crisp around the edges and tender. To finish, melt 2 tbsps of butter in a small bowl, mix with 1/2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar and mix it in with the mushrooms. *You can turn the oven off and leave the mushrooms inside to keep them warm while the risotto finishes cooking*
For the risotto
- While the mushrooms are baking, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet (I love my Staub 12'' skillet for this) on medium heat. Add the onion and the shallot and cook until the onions soften and just begin to caramelize. About 15-20 minutes. While the onions cook, bring the broth and water to a boil in a saucepan.
- Reduce the heat of the skillet to medium-low and add the arborio rice and white wine to the pan with the onions, stirring until the rice is fully coated.
- Add a ladleful of broth; stir and wait until it is absorbed before adding another ladleful stirring gently and almost constantly. When you have used up half the broth, season the risotto with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper. Continue adding broth until the rice is creamy, tender to the bite, but slightly firm in the center. *Total time should be about 25-30 minutes from the time you started*
- When all the liquid is absorbed, mix in the parmesan cheese, peas, and asparagus.
- Divide the risotto and mushrooms between bowls and serve immediately. Garnish with parmesan and fresh parsley.
Notes
- Bone broth can be subbed for chicken broth or vegetable broth and the one cup of water is just to keep you from opening more broth, but feel free to use broth instead of water!
- If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can sub for dried (use half the amount).
- White wine can be subbed for cooking wine
- It’s ok if there is still some broth leftover in the saucepan, you might not end up needing every bit of it. It’s important to taste the risotto as you go!
- A good rule of thumb when cooking risotto, is that if you take a whiff of it while it’s cooking and it doesn’t smell like anything, you haven’t seasoned it enough!
