Creamy Mushroom Risotto, Perfectly Mantecato
Creamy mushroom risotto with Carnaroli rice, sautéed mixed mushrooms, and a final stir of butter and parmesan: a comforting first course.
Want a creamy, wavy mushroom risotto that stays soft on the plate without turning gluey or dry? Then follow this recipe, with the right technique at every step.
Mushroom risotto is one of the great autumn classics, but you can make it year-round with mixed mushrooms. Its secret isn’t a rare ingredient: it’s the method, from toasting the rice to the final off-heat stir, the one that delivers creaminess without any cream.
It has at least three real advantages: it’s a vegetarian first course that pleases everyone, it uses simple ingredients and adapts to many variations (button, porcini, chanterelles), and it works for both a weeknight dinner and an important lunch.
The most important tip involves two details: keep the stock hot and add it a little at a time, and do the final stir off the heat with cold butter and parmesan, beating energetically. That’s how the risotto becomes creamy and glossy.
For deeper flavor, add a handful of soaked dried porcini: strain the water and use it in the stock to perfume the whole dish.
Ready? Let’s make mushroom risotto.
Base preparations used
To make this recipe
A small selection of handy tools to keep within reach. Some links may be affiliate links.
Large non-stick pan
Useful for cooking and sautéing ingredients evenly without overcrowding the surface.
Steps
- Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice them. Warm them in a pan with a drizzle of oil and the garlic clove, and sauté over high heat for 6 to 8 minutes until golden. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Finely chop the shallot and soften it in a pot with half the butter and a drizzle of oil, over low heat, for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the rice and toast it for 2 minutes, stirring, until the grains turn translucent. Deglaze with the white wine and let it evaporate.
- Add the hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring often and adding more only when the previous has been absorbed. Continue for about 16 to 18 minutes.
- Halfway through, stir in most of the mushrooms, keeping a few aside for garnish. Adjust the salt toward the end of cooking.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining butter and parmesan, beating energetically until the risotto is creamy and wavy. Let it rest for 2 minutes, then serve with the reserved mushrooms and parsley.
Helpful tips
The stock must always be hot: added cold, it would stall the cooking and make the risotto gluey.
Toast the rice well before deglazing: it's the step that keeps the grains firm and separate.
The final stir (mantecatura) should always be off the heat, with cold butter and parmesan: that's what makes the risotto creamy.
A handful of soaked dried porcini adds depth of flavor: strain the soaking water and use it in the stock.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 460 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 62.0 g
- Sugars
- 3.0 g
- Protein
- 11.0 g
- Fat
- 16.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 8.0 g
- Fiber
- 3.0 g
- Sodium
- 540 mg
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