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One-Pot Mushroom Risotto

By Amanda Luchtel

Published on December 21, 2020

Time

1 hour 5 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

One-Pot Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered1 ½ teaspoons table salt, divided½ teaspoon pepper 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, divided2 shallots, minced¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and chopped fine3 garlic cloves, minced1 ½ cups Arborio rice 1 cup dry white wine 4 cups water, divided2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for sprinkling

Before You Begin

You can substitute white mushrooms for the cremini mushrooms and chanterelle or oyster mushrooms for the shiitakes, if desired. If the mushroom caps are larger than 2 inches in diameter, cut them into six pieces. One and a half cups of Arborio rice weighs about 11 ounces.

Instructions

  1.  Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add cremini mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cover and cook until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all liquid has evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes longer.
  2.  Add 4 tablespoons butter, shallots, porcini mushrooms, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently with wooden spoon, until grains are translucent around edges, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits, until wine is fully absorbed, about 2 minutes.
  3.  Stir in 3 cups water, thyme, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until almost all liquid has been absorbed and rice is just al dente, about 12 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.
  4.  Add remaining 1 cup water and cook, stirring constantly, until risotto is creamy, about 3 minutes. Off heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes (risotto will continue to thicken as it sits).
  5.  Stir in Parmesan, parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Risotto should have consistency of loose oatmeal; wooden spoon dragged through mixture should leave trail that takes about 3 seconds to fill in. Adjust consistency with small increments of warm water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, sprinkled with extra parsley.
One-Pot Mushroom Risotto
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Ashley Moore.

One-Pot Mushroom Risotto

Save

Time

1 hour 5 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 ½ teaspoons table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, divided
2 shallots, minced
¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups water, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for sprinkling

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 ½ teaspoons table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, divided
2 shallots, minced
¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups water, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for sprinkling

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 ½ teaspoons table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, divided
2 shallots, minced
¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups water, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for sprinkling

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted to create a mushroom risotto that built layers of flavor in one pot and that used a simple technique to develop a creamy texture with a lot less stirring. The combination of mushrooms—both fresh and dried—in this recipe contributed a deep, complex, satisfying savoriness. We chose cremini for their earthiness and meaty texture; shiitakes for their heartiness; and dried porcini for their intense, concentrated flavor. Instead of reconstituting the dried porcini in warm water, we simply chopped them fine and stirred them in with the garlic and shallots. Once we’d sautéed the rice, we added 3 cups of water to the pot; as the mixture simmered, the dried porcini imparted their flavor to the risotto and the grains of rice gently bumped against each other and released their starch to create the creaminess we were after.

Before You Begin

You can substitute white mushrooms for the cremini mushrooms and chanterelle or oyster mushrooms for the shiitakes, if desired. If the mushroom caps are larger than 2 inches in diameter, cut them into six pieces. One and a half cups of Arborio rice weighs about 11 ounces.

Instructions

  1.  Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add cremini mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cover and cook until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all liquid has evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes longer.
  2.  Add 4 tablespoons butter, shallots, porcini mushrooms, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently with wooden spoon, until grains are translucent around edges, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits, until wine is fully absorbed, about 2 minutes.
  3.  Stir in 3 cups water, thyme, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until almost all liquid has been absorbed and rice is just al dente, about 12 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.
  4.  Add remaining 1 cup water and cook, stirring constantly, until risotto is creamy, about 3 minutes. Off heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes (risotto will continue to thicken as it sits).
  5.  Stir in Parmesan, parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Risotto should have consistency of loose oatmeal; wooden spoon dragged through mixture should leave trail that takes about 3 seconds to fill in. Adjust consistency with small increments of warm water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, sprinkled with extra parsley.

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