Posted Mar 29, 2024 I’ve always been slightly intimated by risotto. I think of it as a “designer” Italian side dish, slightly elevated above the rest. Well, this easy risotto recipe delivers designer results with discount prices, if you know what I mean. It’s simple to make in 40 minutes with only 6 ingredients. And the end product is purely delicious – a rich and creamy, flavorful dish that will give your favorite Italian restaurant a run for it’s money. Plus, I created this recipe to be made with or without wine, so if you find yourself feeding people who don’t love the taste of wine (like 6 cute little kids), you can easily make this risotto without wine.
Risotto Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
Chicken broth. You can replace up to ½ cup of the chicken broth with dry, white wine for a more authentic flavor. See recipe for instructions on how to do this. Salted Butter. unsalted butter works well too. Onion. I suggest a sweet white or yellow onion. Arborio Rice. There is no substitution for this rice. Parmesan Cheese. you can substitute up to half of the parmesan cheese for grated Romano cheese if you’d like.
How to Make Risotto
We’ll walk through this risotto recipe step-by-step. Don’t forget to watch the video! Begin by brining the chicken broth to a simmer in a 5-quart saucepan. Once simmering, reduce heat and keep simmering while you cook the rice. Then, in a separate saucepan or dutch oven, melt 3 Tablespoons of butter with onion, and garlic over medium heat and cook until the onion just starts to soften – about 3 minutes. Once the onion is soft, add the rice and stir to coat. Then, add ½ cup broth and cook over medium-low heat until mostly absorbed (takes about 3 minutes). Or – add ½ cup dry white whine instead of broth in this step only. Stir to ensure broth is absorbed, then add additional ½ cup broth and cook without stirring until liquid looks mostly absorbed. Repeat until the broth is used and rice is cooked (about 25 minutes) Turn off the heat and add sea salt, pepper, parmesan cheese and the remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter and stir until combined and creamy.
Serve
Serve garnished with fresh parsley (if desired for a pop of color), a dash of salt and pepper and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. I suggest serving this easy risotto recipe alongside your favorite Italian recipes:
Homemade Meatballs Bruschetta Chicken Pesto Chicken
Store/Freeze
Store leftover risotto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat, covered, in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
