Learn How to Make Basic Risotto at home by following a few easy steps. Risotto is a classic Italian rice dish that’s creamy, hearty and delicious!

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Have you ever made risotto? I first made it about 20 years ago with a recipe I found on Epicurious . I remember finding it somewhat overwhelming and read the instructions over and over to ensure I made it correctly. After reading the recipe tips and a little more information about how to make perfect risotto, I embarked on the not so complicated dish. It was success from the first try and I have since created many of my own risotto recipes including Portobello Mushroom & Spinach Risotto, Seafood Risotto, Lemon & Asparagus Risotto and so many more!

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What can you expect from this Risotto Dish

• Difficulty – This rice dish is a medium difficulty recipe to make. It’s really straightforward and doesn’t require many ingredients, but you need to follow the instructions carefully to get desired results.
• Taste – This rice dish is very creamy and the rice has a bit of a bite. The oregano isn’t overpowering, it just adds an extra layer of flavour.
• Serving – You can serve this as a light main course or a side dish to a bigger meal. It makes four servings.

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Ingredients

• Rice – This recipe uses arborio rice which is a short grain rounded rice. When cooked it’s creamy and chewy due to the high starch content.
• Onion – Small white onion.
• Olive oil – I used extra virgin olive oil.
• Bay leaf – To enhance the flavour of the dish, I added one dry bay leaf.
• Garlic – Fresh minced garlic is best for this rice dish.
• Wine – White wine is used in cooking the rice.
• Broth – I used vegetable broth to cook the rice.
• Herbs – A small amount of dried oregano is added at the end to add flavour
• Salt – Just regular table salt.
• Cheese – Freshly grated parmesan cheese is essential for this dish.

REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions can be found at the end of the post in the recipe card.

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Instructions

1. Sautee onions – Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sized deep sided pot. Add the onion, bay leaf and garlic. Give a good stir. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft.
2. Add rice – Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil and all the rice. Stir well to coat the rice in the oil and cook until the rice becomes a little opaque around the edges, around 2 minutes.
3. Pour in wine – Pour in all the cooking wine and stir. Cook until the wine completely evaporates, about 2 – 3 minutes.
4. Gradually add broth – Add one cup/240 ml of vegetable broth and stir well. Occasionally stir until it evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add another 1/2 cup of broth, stir well and leave to cook stirring regularly until the broth has evaporated, about another 3 minutes or so. Add another 1/2 cup and repeat. Repeat until the rice is fully cooked and you have a creamy consistency. If your rice isn’t fully cooked, add a little boiling water. This process will take about 15 minutes.
5. Add cheese and seasonings – Add the salt, oregano and parmesan cheese. Stir in as much of the remaining 1/2 cup broth as you need to reach the perfect creamy texture. Remove from heat.
6. Serve – Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and serve immediately.

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Recipe Tips

• Always use good quality broth –  As a lot of broth is used, make sure the one you are using is worthy of your dish.  You can usually buy quality stock in cartons.  Try this and you will note a difference. 
• Prep everything before you start – Make sure all ingredients are chopped, grated, heated and ready to go.  With risotto, timing is everything and you don’t want to be at a stage to add an ingredient and you haven’t already chopped or peeled it.  So, have everything ready before you start.  
• Use a heavy bottomed pot – Heavy bottomed cook wear produces even heat while cooking which is essential in making a good risotto.
• Keep stirring the risotto –  This is key as it releases the starch from the rice and gives risotto its creamy texture. It also ensures the rice doesn’t stick and cooks evenly. 
• Serve immediately – Risottos are at their absolute creaminess as soon as you take them off the stove top.  It isn’t a good idea to cook this and wait a while to serve it.  Otherwise, the rice will dry out and go quite stodgy.  So keep this in mind, if you haven’t made risotto before and think that maybe it is like some other rice dishes.

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Substitutions and Flavour Changes

• Bay leaf – You can omit the bay leaf if you are not fond of the flavour.
• Vegetable broth – I used vegetable broth for the background flavour. You can use chicken broth or fish broth if you prefer.
• Wine – You can omit the wine if you like, just substitute extra vegetable broth in it’s place.

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what to Serve with Risotto

Risotto is so versatile and lovely even on it’s own. However, it can become part of a bigger meal and here are just a few things you can serve with this Creamy Risotto Recipe.

• Easy Parmesan Roasted Asparagus
• Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken
• Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
• Slow Roasted Lemon & Rosemary Chicken
• Pan Fried Hake
• Lemon Crusted Baked Cod

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Frequently Asked Questions

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