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Red wine risotto topped with mushrooms and thyme.

Red Wine Mushroom Risotto

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Jessie
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins
  • Yield: Serves 4-6 as a main dish 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Cuisine: Italian Inspired
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

This easy, creamy mushroom risotto recipe gets a fun, colorful twist thanks to some hearty red wine!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 cup
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 12 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups)
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme, plus extra for garnish
  • 2 cups arborio rice
  • 1 cup red wine (we used a Zinfandel)
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, divided (you may not need all of it)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until translucent and slightly browned.
  3. Add mushrooms to saucepan and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes until mushrooms have reduced in size and begun to brown. (Tip: Reserve a few of the browned mushrooms for topping the risotto later if you like!)
  4. Add garlic and a pinch of salt to mushroom mixture. Pull thyme leaves off the sprigs and add them to the pan (discard or compost the stems). Stir to combine and cook another minute or so, until garlic is fragrant.
  5. Add arborio rice to saucepan; stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for about a minute, until the rice has absorbed any remaining liquid and the grains begin to turn translucent around the edges.
  6. Add red wine to pan to deglaze. Stir to incorporate, making sure to scrape any browned bits (called "fond") off the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until rice has absorbed nearly all of the wine, about 7-10 minutes.
  7. Add one cup of chicken stock; stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10-15 minutes, until rice has absorbed nearly all of the stock. (You should be able to drag a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan without seeing any large pools of liquid). Repeat this process, adding one cup of stock at a time and letting the rice absorb it in between each addition, until rice is cooked through. As you near the end of the cooking process, you may want to add stock in smaller increments - such as 1/2 cup or even 1/4 cup at a time - so as not to overcook the rice. Taste for doneness and add salt as needed between each addition: the only surefire way to know when your risotto is "done" is to taste it! When your risotto is ready, the rice should have a slight bite to it and be creamy but not stiff or gummy. When you drag a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan, the finished risotto should slowly seep back into the space.  
  8. When rice is cooked, turn off the heat. Add butter and shredded parmesan cheese, stirring continuously until they've both melted into the risotto. Taste again and add seasoning if necessary.
  9. Add optional toppings (we like adding extra fresh thyme, more shredded parmesan, or reserved mushrooms) and serve immediately.

Notes

Should I warm up my chicken stock? Traditional risotto is made with warm or simmering chicken stock. Using hot stock can speed the cooking process (cold stock can cool down the pan, which adds extra cooking time because the pan needs to come back up to temperature). It also encourages your rice to release as much starch as possible for an ultra-creamy risotto. If you have the time and the inclination, bring your stock to a low simmer in a separate saucepan and ladle it directly from that saucepan into your risotto as you cook. If you don't want to dirty an extra pot, you can add stock to a microwave-safe measuring cup and microwave it for 30 seconds or so before adding it to your risotto. We tested this recipe with cold, room-temperature, and simmering chicken stock, and honestly? They're all fine. Using warm or simmering stock definitely makes the risotto cook a few minutes faster and it's a little bit creamier, but the difference is pretty negligible. So do whatever you want!

Additions and substitutions. Add protein (chicken, salmon, shrimp, steak) or veggies (asparagus, roasted veggies, cauliflower). Use goat cheese or mascarpone in place of some or all of the parmesan. Use white wine in place of red wine, or swap the wine for your favorite non-alcoholic wine or additional chicken stock. Use 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme in place of the fresh thyme if needed (although the fresh thyme really does make a difference!) Use parmesan broth in place of the chicken or vegetable stock.

Vegan & Vegetarian options. Use a high-quality vegetable stock instead of chicken stock (look for veggie stock with a delicate flavor or make your own - some brands have a VERY strong taste that can overpower the risotto here). Vegetarians should make sure to buy parmesan cheese made without rennet. Vegans can skip the butter and cheese: instead, swirl in some dairy-free butter or nutritional yeast at the end of the cooking process.

Risotto takes time, patience, and practice. Be sure to taste as you go and don't worry if it takes a few tries to get it perfect!