Risotto is an Italian dish featuring short-grained rice that’s been cooked in meat or vegetable broth. It’s also quick and easy to prepare, so these risotto recipes are great for a nice dinner in a hurry. And you can make risotto in big batches for bulk cooking.
How to Make Classic Risotto
Recipes vary greatly, but all of them are based on cooking the rice in a particular way. The rice (most typically the arborio variety) soaks up the broth and softens to a creamy consistency.
A small serving makes a great first course, light meal or snack; a larger serving can be a whole meal, especially if the recipe includes meat.
Like many dishes served up as gourmet items, it’s really a peasant dish and makes for wonderful comfort food.
Here are some basic instructions for your recipes:
1. Soffritto. Sautee onions in a cast iron skillet with butter or oil. This will create your flavor base. At this point, a recipe may instruct you to toss in some other ingredients. Don’t brown your ingredients.
2. Tostatura. The word comes from the Italian for “to toast.” Add the rice grains to your soffritto and stir continuously. This will cook each grain evenly. This takes two to four minutes. Don’t brown the rice. Some recipes call for you to add white wine and cook it in until it evaporates completely.
3. Adding the broth. Add it one ladle at a time, stirring each one in until the rice has absorbed it before adding another. Stir frequently but slowly throughout this process. At about two-thirds of the way through, you can start adding vegetables and other ingredients to it.
4. Resting. While the rice grains are still a bit firm, take the rice off heat and let it sit for a couple of minutes to cook together while the temperature comes down.
5. Mantecatura. Some recipes skip this step, but if you finish your dish by beating some very cold butter cubes, olive oil and/or parmesan into the cooked risotto, the resulting texture and flavor will be amazing.
More Cooking Tips:
- For each cup of rice, you’ll need three cups of broth.
- Stirring is crucial for the final texture, but not as demanding as it sounds. The more often you prepare this dish, the better sense you’ll develop of when it’s okay to let it sit for a few minutes while you work on something else.
- The broth is where most of your flavor will come from, so make sure you use one that’s tasty. You can actually get away with a tasty cube of bullion dissolved in water, so it’s not necessary to make it from scratch or spend a lot of money, but it does need to taste good, or your dish won’t.
- Butter gives it more flavor than oil, and you may find you prefer clarified butter. You can combine the two to add some butter flavor while the oil prevents the butter from burning. (I’m partial to Kerrygold for its delicious grassfed flavor.)
Easy Risotto Recipes
A delicious, easy chicken and pea risotto that’s perfect for weeknight dinner. The best way to use up leftover roast chicken!
A pop of fresh thyme and a good glug of dry white wine brings this easy wild mushroom risotto together. The secret, though, is to use a variety of mushrooms for the best flavor.
This creamy butternut squash risotto is dairy-free and easy to make! Roasted squash adds a subtle sweetness that makes it even more satisfying!
Creamy risotto paired with tender shrimp and sweet Italian sausage is a creamy comfort meal. This is one recipe you'll want to make over and over again.
This Oyster Mushroom Risotto is simple to make and the delicious taste will appeal to the whole family.
A rich and creamy Italian comfort food meal made with fresh spinach, Arborio rice, and dairy-free feta cheese.
An insanely creamy and decadent take on risotto while being dairy-free. Deceptively easy too!
This dish is a delicious fusion of Italian risotto and Mexican enchilada in one flavor packed, creamy concoction!
Tomato vegan risotto: A deliciously different twist on a classic dish
This tomato vegan risotto recipe is the perfect comfort food for a chilly winter night. It’s hearty and filling, without being too heavy, and the tomatoes give it a bright, fresh flavor. It’s easy to make, and can be a delicious main course or side dish. Plus, it’s vegan!
This Creamy Parmesan Risotto recipe is one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s creamy, delicious, and pairs perfectly with chicken parmesan. It is made with marscapone or cream cheese, heavy cream, and parmesan. I’m sharing my recipe for creamy parmesan risotto with chicken parmesan so you can enjoy it as much as I do!
This mushroom risotto uses classic techniques and flavours without incorporating any wine! Perfect for those avoiding alcohol and vegetarians alike, this is sure to be a hit!
Made with red wine instead of the traditional white, this steak risotto is full of bold and beautiful flavours.
Enjoy this mushroom risotto side dish with shiitake mushroom or cremini mushroom. It’s so versatile – a tasty dish and fantastic recipe for anything from a dinner party to an indulgent supper.
An oh so creamy, cheesy, super easy, and wonderfully comforting mushroom risotto recipe. The mushrooms add a rich, earthy flavor that really goes with all of that fresh parmesan you'll be piling on top.
Spring Vegetable Risotto is creamy vegetarian risotto packed with spring produce and bursting with fresh lemon flavor. Recipe includes tips to make perfect risotto every single time!
This classic Italian comfort food is very easy to make and a great company-worthy dish. Arborio rice is cooked with simple seasonings, white wine, and vegan broth until rich and creamy.
This hearty vegetarian Brussels Sprouts and Goat Cheese Risotto pairs shredded Brussels sprouts and creamy goat cheese with a traditional Italian dish.
Wondering what to do with leftover pulled pork? Try using it in this savory pulled pork risotto!
This Easy Instant Pot Risotto with Butternut Squash is made with sweet cubes of butternut squash, fresh sage, and shredded parmesan.
You literally cannot even imagine how excited we are at our house for grilling this delectable Arroz Poblano risotto made with fresh corn, onions, and poblano peppers, of course! It is Corn and Poblano Rice grilled to perfection.
Quick healthy tomato and basil risotto is a low cost easy to make recipe. This creamy vegetarian dish makes a perfect midweek meal for 4.
Pumpkin Risotto with Bacon is an easy, Instant Pot risotto with creamy pumpkin and crumbled bacon. It's the easiest risotto ever!
The classic Italian Risotto with Pumpkin and sage is a simple but yet
impressive recipe with a great taste combination. This is a quick
vegetarian meal, perfect for lunch or dinner in the fall.
Cod Risotto with Zucchini is creamy rice combined with zucchini, Parmesan cheese, and served with crispy fried cod.
This Chicken and Mushroom Risotto is made in the traditional style, with broth gradually ladled into the risotto for a deep, rich and comforting flavor.
This is easy and delicious, savory Baked Oatmeal Risotto is a non-conventional spin on risotto as you know it. It is a filling and hearty dish that is perfect for dinner or even brunch.
Risotto ai Funghi (Mushroom Risotto), creamy with earthy flavors, is a delicacy on your plate. You can make this recipe super easy with my tips to prepare risotto quickly (and without much work).
A vegan Greek aromatic herbed spinach risotto based on the Greek spanakoryzo recipe but made with the method of making risotti.
Champagne risotto has a very delicate flavor, a precious addition to a light and refined festive menu. Serve it on a Parmesan wheel to create a unique party centerpiece or prepare it with the Champagne leftover from an open bottle.
A quick and easy pantry meal using sun dried tomatoes for a rich and sweet broth.
This rich, creamy, flavor packed Pumpkin Risotto recipe in the instant pot is pure comfort food. It’s a knockout vegetarian dinner for Fall or Winter. Sub in butternut squash if you can’t find pumpkin.
How to Make Asparagus Risotto (Delicious Risotto with Spring Vegetables)
Pea and Asparagus Risotto Recipe is a delicious dish for springtime. This spring risotto features leeks, fresh asparagus, fresh peas, and mascarpone cheese with a touch of fresh lemon and parmesan cheese.
If you’re looking for a delicious side dish to add to your home menu try my Restaurant-Style Creamy Mushroom Risotto. You’ll be blown away by the flavors and the versatility of this easy to make Italian Classic!
Quinoa cooks up slow and creamy with butternut squash and kale in this protein backed risotto made with quinoa. It's easy and tastes great too!
This pressure cooker vegan mushroom risotto is an easy, hands-off way of cooking creamy, flavorful risotto without any dairy and without constant stirring. It makes a delicious main course or side dish!
Here’s how you can make a risotto that is low in carbs! This cauliflower risotto with chicken, sage and parmesan tastes just as good as the original.
This butternut squash and kale risotto is super comforting and tastes like fall.
Creamy, rich, and incredibly easy to make, this Italian wild mushroom risotto is such a deliciously comforting fall meal!
This Creamy Morel Mushroom and Prawn Risotto is loaded with mushrooms and is the ultimate comfort food! Pairing prawns and morel mushrooms works beautifully in this easy yet fancy dish!
This creamy pesto risotto is topped with toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil! It's the perfect summer lunch time meal or side-dish that comes together in about 30 minutes!
This creamy goat cheese risotto is topped with tomato confit for a flavorful meal that requires minimal effort! The tangy goat cheese and bright tomatoes are the perfect pairing!
