A recipe for Portobello Risotto! This creamy risotto is wonderfully flavored with sliced portobello mushrooms, parmesan, and fresh herbs.
I received some gorgeous Portobello mushrooms in my CSA box recently. I was looking around for a use for them and came across the idea for this Portobello Risotto over on Erinnish (no longer active).
The risotto itself doesn’t take much time and minimal prep, but does require constant attention on the stove and a nice arm workout.
Chopped onions are first sautéed in a little olive oil until softened, then tossed with the sliced portobello mushrooms.
Once cooked, the mushrooms are flavored with garlic, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper, before tossing in the rice.
This is where the fun begins. Stir in some wine until absorbed, then slowly add 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) vegetable broth and stir frequently until mostly absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) and repeat the process until the rice is tender and coated in a creamy sauce. This should take around 20-25 minutes.
Immediately before serving, mix in some butter and freshly grated Parmesan to add to the creamy texture.
A Few Risotto Tips
This Portobello Risotto is a fairly easy dish without much prep work, but you can’t set it up and leave it. You have to stir the rice often as it absorbs the wine and broth and watch the fluid levels.
Add more broth (make sure it is hot) once the previous amount has thickened and reduced, but not completely evaporated.
If the rice still isn’t tender after all the broth has been added, slowly add a little more broth at a time until al dente.
This dish is vegetarian, but for a vegan option use vegan butter (or omit) and omit the Parmesan.
If avoiding wine, simply swap for more vegetable broth.
Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. The exact amount of salt may differ depending on the saltiness of your broth.
Arborio Rice
I used Arborio rice as the base for the Portobello Risotto. Arborio rice is an Italian short-grain rice with a rounded shape. It is high in amylopectin which creates a creamy texture when slowly mixed with liquid.
It is one of the easier to find varieties in larger American grocery stores. You can swap for another short-grain rice with a high amylopectin (starch) content such as Carnaroli or Vialone Nano. The cooking time and exact amount of liquid required may vary.
Looking for more risotto recipes?
Try my:
- Risotto alla Milanese
- Risotto alla Paprica (Red Risotto)
- Risotto alla Fragola (Italian Strawberry Risotto)
This recipe was originally posted in November 2013 and updated in November 2023.
Portobello Risotto Recipe
Adapted from Erinnish
Portobello Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil
- 1 small onion peeled and chopped
- 2 large portobello mushrooms about 12 ounces (340 grams), thinly sliced and chopped into 1 inch (2.5 centimeter) pieces
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme stems discarded
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 1/4 cups (240 grams) uncooked Arborio rice
- 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) white wine
- 4 1/4 cups (1 liter) hot vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 ounce (28 grams) freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pan, drizzle the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent.
- Gently toss in the mushroom slices and cook, stirring only occasionally, until darkened and beginning to soften.
- Stir in the garlic and thyme. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Once fragrant, add the rice and toss until lightly toasted, about 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the wine and cook until absorbed by the rice.
- Add 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) of the vegetable broth and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until most of the broth has been absorbed.
- Add another 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) of broth, repeating the process of adding broth and stirring until absorbed, until the rice is tender, al dente, and the mixture is creamy.
- Stir in the butter, then remove from heat.
- Stir in the Parmesan, season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed, then serve immediately with a sprinkling of additional Parmesan and fresh parsley.
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