Mushroom Risotto

4.64 from 11 votes

This Bacon and Mushroom Risotto recipe is rich, creamy, cheesy, made with salty bacon and earthy mushrooms. While this classic dish is usually enjoyed in restaurants with a high price tag, I've created this risotto with basic ingredients and fool-proof instructions. Time to treat yourself!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: bacon and mushroom risotto, risotto, risotto recipe

Servings:

Calories: 421kcal

Equipment

Le Creuset 3.75-Quart Braiser

Ingredients

5 cups chicken broth low sodium
4 sprigs fresh thyme
8 slices bacon sliced into 1/4" - 1/2" pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium white onion diced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
1 ½ cups arborio rice aka risotto rice
½ cup white wine
½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
1 tablespoon parsley freshly chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep the broth: Add the chicken broth and thyme sprigs to a pot over medium heat. Once the broth comes to a bubble reduce the heat to low just to keep it hot, but barely simmering.
Cook the bacon: Add the bacon to a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook until crisp, 5-7 minutes, then remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon. Leave the bacon fat in the pot.
Cook the onion and mushrooms: Add the olive oil if needed, I had enough fat rendered from the bacon so I didn't add it, to the pot along with the onion, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Cook the rice: Add the rice, stir, then pour in the wine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the rice cook for 2 minutes, or until it has absorbed the wine. Add 1 cup of the hot broth (avoiding the thyme sprigs) to the dutch oven, stir, and let the rice cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until the liquid has been mostly absorbed. Repeat this step until the rice is cooked through and tender, and you have used all the broth, should take 20-25 minutes.
Finish: Stir in the bacon and parmesan cheese. Taste for salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Notes

Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to add to your dish before starting to cook risotto. This will make it much easier when cooking, because once you do, you won't have time to chop and measure ingredients.
Warm your broth, do not skip this step. This is the secret to a creamy risotto at home. Not only that but it will speed up the cooking process.
Do not stir the rice constantly as this will add air into the risotto, cooling it down and making it gluey. However you still have to stir it oven, because the creaminess comes from the starch generated with grains of rice rub against each other. Find the right balance, not too much, not too little.
Your risotto will last up to 5 days refrigerated. To reheat, use the microwave and stir the risotto every 15-20 seconds. If the microwave isn't an option, you can reheat it in a skillet or saucepan over medium heat on the stovetop. Feel free to add a splash or two of chicken broth or water to avoid having the risotto dry out at all.
While it isn't ideal to freeze risotto, you absolutely can if you need it to last longer than 5 days. Make sure the risotto has fully cooled down to room temperature before storing in an airtight container. It'll last 2-3 months frozen.
Let the risotto thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Keep in mind after freezing and thawing, the risotto will have a much more soft texture. You'll have to be careful when reheating as to not break up the grains of rice.

Nutrition