Easy Risotto with Parmesan Cheese Recipe

I’m starting to really enjoy eating risotto. It’s recently come to my attention that it’s not as difficult to make as it’s let on to be. In the case of the recipe I share below, about a half hour out of your life will give you a seriously wonderful dinner.

The Recipe

Simply put, this recipe gives the instructions for some really creamy risotto that’s infused with Parmesan cheese. Typically, you need to stand over a stove top for about 30 minutes stirring to end up with this type of result, but not this time. All it takes now is only about 5 minutes worth of stirring and the risotto is about just as good.

The original recipe calls for a mere two ounces of Parmesan cheese to be mixed into the rice. I shredded a bit more to add to the top after the dish is plated. Also, scallions weren’t mentioned anywhere in the original recipe, but I decided to thinly slice a few and add those pieces to the top as well. Doing this adds some color as well as flavor.

Ingredients

Serves: 6

5 Cups Vegetable Broth
1 1/2 Cups Water
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Large Sweet Onion, Finely Chopped
Regular Table Salt
Ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Garlic, Minced
2 Cups Arborio Rice
1 Cup Dry White Wine
2 Ounces Parmesan Cheese, Grated
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
3 Tablespoons Scallions, Sliced (Optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank America’s Test Kitchen for this recipe. I got it from their wonderful resource called The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. As usual, the recipe is top notch and it produced a perfect result.

Boil Broth

In a large saucepan, bring the 5 cups vegetable broth and 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Then, after it’s boiling, lower the heat to low so the contents of the pan are only simmering. Keep the pan covered.

Soften Onion

Warm a large 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, the chopped onion and 3/4 teaspoon worth of salt. Stir and cook the ingredients for about 5 minutes until the onion becomes soft.

Add Rice

After the onion has been softened sufficiently, add the rice to the skillet. Also add in the garlic and stir for about 3 more minutes.

Add Wine & Broth

Next up, add the wine to the skillet and stir for about 3 minutes until it’s absorbed into the rice. Then, add 5 cups of broth as well.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Let simmer on the stove top for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will give time for the rice to become al dente.

After that, add half of the remaining broth to the skiller (3/4 cup) and stir constantly for approximately 3 minutes. This will bring the cream out of the rice.

Add Parmesan Cheese

Next, add the Parmesan cheese to the skillet and stir it into the rice well. Once that’s done, turn off the heat, cover and let the risotto sit for 5 minutes. Then, stir in the remaining butter, lemon juice and remaining broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

The Final Risotto

As I mentioned above, I added some additional Parmesan cheese to the top of the risotto after I plated it. I also added some sliced scallions. I encourage you to follow what I did because it was rather good tasting. I did, however, take some photos of the risotto before I added these two additional ingredients.

This should give you an indication of how creamy this risotto can be.

Here’s a photo right after I added the extra Parmesan.

And here’s the final shot.

If you enjoy risotto, definitely give this recipe a try. I think you’ll like it. Enjoy!