Creamy Parmesan Risotto recipe – with almost NO stirring in under 30 minutes! Delicious, easy main dish or side with scallops, steaks and other seafood.
Creamy Risotto really is the ideal side dish. Easy, elegant and comes together in minutes. It’s a recipe your whole family will enjoy.
Add sautéed mushrooms, artichokes or other vegetables for a hearty main dish.
Lots of people believe major stirring is an absolute must for creamy risotto. We’re dispelling that popular belief today.
This easy, Creamy Parmesan Risotto involves very little stirring and is sure to become one of your favorite new recipes.
MAIN INGREDIENTS FOR PARMESAN RISOTTO:
- olive oil
- butter
- Arborio rice
- small onion
- garlic cloves
- fresh thyme
- salt
- dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon work well)
- chicken stock (room temperature)
- lemon zest
- lemon juice
- parmesan cheese
- brie cheese
- flat leaf parsley
how to make creamy parmesan risotto:
NOTE: it’s important to use a large pot, dutch oven or large skillet with so the rice can spread out and cook evenly. Cooking in a small saucepan with high sides may result in undercooked rice.
Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large, wide pot or skillet over medium heat. Add the rice, grated garlic, onions and finely chopped thyme then season with a little bit of salt.
Reduce heat to low then cook 1-2 minutes or until the rice is very lightly toasted and the onions tender.
Pour in the wine and cook 2-3 minutes or until the wine has reduced and absorbed into the rice.
Add 3 cups of stock then cover and bring to a boil over medium to medium high heat.
Once the rice is boiling, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer 10-12 minutes or until the rice is al dente.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup of stock, lemon juice/zest and parmesan cheese stirring over low heat as it thickens (1-2 minutes) then fold in the cubed brie (rind removed), last tablespoon of butter and parsley.
Stir gently until the cheese is melted (this just takes a few seconds) giving the dish a creamy texture. Taste, adjust salt as you like and (optional) garnish before serving.
tips for the best risotto:
- Start with room temperature stock (not cold stock).
- It’s not necessary to use hot broth or stock.
- Chicken broth can be used in place of chicken stock.
- Be sure to taste the risotto before serving and adjust salt to your own preference.
variations to this recipe:
This is a traditional risotto recipe but there are many variations to it. Below are a few options:
- Marinated artichoke hearts (drain, chop and add at the end of cooking)
- Sautéed mushrooms (cook mushrooms in the same skillet then reserve – add at the end of cooking)
- Fresh asparagus (sauté in the same skillet then reserve – add at the end of cooking)
- Substitute 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder for fresh garlic cloves.
- Top with crispy prosciutto.
how to reheat risotto:
Occasionally (like when my kids aren’t here!) I actually have leftover risotto. Trust me. It’s a beautiful thing. Here’s how I reheat it:
First, store any leftover risotto in an airtight container up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
To reheat, for every 1 cup of leftover risotto bring 1/4 cup of stock to a boil in a saucepan (the same kind you used for the original risotto).
Add the risotto to the hot stock, gently stirring to combine. Once the risotto is warm, add a splash of cream, half and half or milk (whatever you have on hand) to return the creaminess to the dish.
what to serve with risotto:
Scallops with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce – pan seared restaurant quality scallops dish in under 10 minutes. Easy, elegant appetizer or main dish.
Chicken with Mushrooms – breaded bites of chicken breast blanketed in sautéed mushrooms, gooey melted cheese and a simple white wine sauce.
Air Fryer Salmon – perfectly cooked salmon in just 10 minutes! Juicy inside, lightly crispy outside and loaded with healthy flavor.
Grilled Flank Steak – marinated for tender, juicy flavor packed steak that grills in under 10 minutes!
Enjoy!
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If you tried this Creamy Parmesan Risotto recipe or any other on the blog, then I’d love to hear from you with a comment or star rating.
Creamy Parmesan Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme finely chopped
- salt to taste
- 1/3 cup dry white wine Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc work well
- 3 1/2 cups chicken stock room temperature
- zest from half of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice or more to taste
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 4 ounces brie cheese rind removed and cubed
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped (optional: more for garnish)
Instructions
- NOTE: it’s important to use a large pot, dutch oven or large skillet with so the rice can spread out and cook evenly. Cooking in a small saucepan with high sides may result in undercooked rice.
- Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet/pot over medium heat. Add the rice, grated garlic, onions and finely chopped thyme then season with a little bit of salt.
- Reduce heat to low then cook 1-2 minutes or until the rice is very lightly toasted and the onions tender.
- Pour in the wine and cook 2-3 minutes or until the wine has reduced and absorbed into the rice.
- Add 3 cups of the stock, lightly season with salt then cover and bring to a boil over medium to medium high heat.
- Once the rice is boiling, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer covered 10-12 minutes or until the rice is al dente.
- Add the remaining 1/2 cup of stock, lemon juice/zest and parmesan cheese stirring over low heat as it thickens (1-2 minutes) then fold in the cubed brie (rind removed), last tablespoon of butter and parsley.
- Stir gently until the cheese is melted (this just takes a few seconds) giving the dish a creamy texture. Taste and adjust salt as you like.
Hey, Bernie! After reading this post, I have decided that you are going to make some people pretty happy! I am one of those people! What a great recipe to make risotto easy-peasy! Love it. Pinned. Thanks, my friend.
Hey there friend! We’ve gotta take care of ourselves, right? You go girl ~ enjoy the risotto and the day! 🙂
i have tried this last night and the taste was so yumm…but my rice remained a bit under cooked…what could be th reason???even i cooked it to a low flame
Hi Albert – first off – I always appreciate reading that someone has tried one of my recipes, so thank you! I’m really glad you liked the taste, but undercooked risotto is definitely not good. It sounds like it may have needed a few more minutes cooking time to get it to the tender texture we’re looking for. There are a few variables, but one thing I always do is give any dish a taste before eating/serving while it’s still in the pot, then adjust the salt and pepper and make sure it’s done like I want it to be.
If your risotto needed more time and you didn’t have extra stock, a little water added could have allowed you to continue cooking a few minutes to the desired tenderness.
I’m assuming you used Arborio rice ~ that’s the only kind I use for risotto.
The pan is also a factor — a wide/flat pan is best because it gives the rice space to cook (it won’t cook as well in a deeper saucepan).
Another variable is the heat source. My daughter’s stove cooks so fast it’s almost like magic 🙂 . Mine is slower, even though the appliances are about the same age (one is gas, one electric – not sure if that makes a difference).
I hope you’ll give it another whirl ~ this is really one of my favorite dishes and I hope this answers your questions but if have any more, please let me know! 🙂
Again, thank you for trying the recipe and letting me know of the issue you had. ~ Bernie
i guess pan selection was the mistake in my case.. nxt time i will take the wide space pan..thanks for sorting out my issue
I’m happy to help resolve it, Albert. I’m sorry my instructions weren’t clearer, but thank you for your help ~ I’m going to update the post to reflect the pan and hopefully this won’t happen for anyone else. Thanks again for following along and making the recipe ~ enjoy the day. ~ Bernie