Serve this as a side dish or add in some veggies (like broccoli or asparagus) or shrimp to make it a complete meal.
An Easy Favorite
This is one of my favorite dishes to order at an Italian restaurant, especially if it has a drizzle of truffle oil. What is risotto? It’s a creamy and delicious Italian dish made with short-grain rice. Stirring the rice while adding little bits of warm broth breaks down the starches making a creamy dish (without any cream!).
A restaurant worthy dish that can be made at home. Risotto is easy to make (although it takes a bit of time). You can flavor it with your favorite herbs or veggie additions. This can be served as a side dish or double the portions for an entree.
A classic entree like roasted split chicken breast or juicy garlic grilled shrimp are perfectly paired with this dish!
Ingredients for Risotto
Making true risotto is easy, but you definitely have to be able to give it some attention. RICE: Risotto is made with starchy short-grain Italian rice (most often Arborio) and cooked on the stovetop. This rice is perfect for things like creamy rice pudding or cabbage roll casserole. While risotto can be made with other grains (like mushroom barley risotto) arborio is my favorite choice. BROTH: The chicken stock or broth is used to add great flavor to the dish. Vegetable stock can be used in place. While this rice is a creamy dish, it doesn’t contain dairy to give it this consistency (it does contain dairy in the cheese/butter of course).
How to Make Risotto
Heat stock in the microwave or a small saucepan that you can keep right near the rice while it cooks. It’s important to use hot or warm broth, never cold.
More Tips for Making Risotto
This parmesan risotto recipe is easy to make. Ensure the broth is warmed before adding it to the rice bit by bit. If the broth is cold it will make for uneven cooking as it hits the pan (and the risotto will take much longer to cook too).
Keep stock or broth warm on low heat on the stove. Wine adds great flavor but can be substituted with additional broth if desired. Add hot stock, a ladle at a time. Stir with a wooden spoon until liquid is completely absorbed into the rice before adding more. When the broth is all added in, the rice should be creamy and cooked through. If not, more broth can be added.
Variations and Additions
Add any of the following or serve along with risotto.
Veggies: sautéed mushrooms, steamed broccoli, roasted asparagus, peas, or roasted green beans. Meat: baked salmon, lemon pepper shrimp, or a classic baked chicken breast. Make it Fancy: I love the addition of truffle oil and while it’s expensive in restaurants, you can get it online for around $10. It’s very strong in flavor and you’ll need just a tiny bit so it’ll flavor lots of meals! Use it for risotto, rice, pasta, fries or potatoes to name a few!
Leftovers
In terms of food safety, it’s perfectly fine to freeze Risotto, but it’s not optimal for maintaining flavor and texture. Arborio Rice is so starchy, that freezing it can make it grainy.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. It should last for about 3-4 days. Reheat: Pop in the microwave, being careful not to overcook. (Check it at 10-second intervals, once it’s hot, it’s ready.) Or, use the stovetop, stirring constantly, and adding a little hot broth or water to liven it up.
Enjoy this fabulous Italian cuisine either for parties or when you feel like making something really special the whole family will be sure to enjoy.
More Rice & Risotto
Creamy Mushroom Risotto – easy gourmet side Easy Rice Pilaf – an easy one-pot dish Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto Easy Oven Baked Rice – the perfect texture Garlic Butter Kale Rice – ready in 30 mins Butternut Squash Risotto – creamy & savory Lemon Shrimp Risotto – light & lemony
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