Cremini Mushroom Risotto

Written by Nick Evans, “Love Your Leftovers” is a cookbook that is easy to incorporate into a busy home kitchen determined to function on time-saving hacks.

He focuses on primary staple recipes – such as roasted chicken, baked potatoes, bread, and beef stock – and each one has a series of variations.

The idea is that you do one big prep recipe, like make a bunch of pressure cooker baked potatoes one night, and then use that base recipe to make other meals all week, like a weeknight gnocchi or potato chorizo frittata for a weekend brunch.

Whether you use the book to plan your weekly menus in bulk as part of your meal prep routine, or to drum up new ideas for a fridge full of leftovers, it provides fresh inspiration whenever you need it.

You can find the book now on Amazon, if you’re interested in incorporating his techniques in your own kitchen.

After making my homemade beef stock and freezing most of it, I thought it would be a smart decision to use the remaining liquid in my next round of risotto.

I knew I also had a carton of mushrooms, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, half a stick of butter, and some grated cheese to use up before everything went to waste.

The meatier base of beef stock works well with mushrooms, creating a super savory main course idea.

I first saute sliced cremini with diced yellow onion and minced garlic in butter, developing a meaty texture and a caramelized exterior.

Instead of removing all of the sauteed mushrooms before adding the rice, I like to reserve a few cups for the final garnish, and allow the rest to cook along with the grains to take full advantage of their deep, earthy flavor throughout the whole cooking process.

Finished with more butter and grated Pecorino Romano cheese, I cut through all the richness with a touch of fresh herbs – a few small basil leaves sprinkled over each bowl upon serving does the trick.

So if you’re sitting on stock, and a few other ingredients in your fridge and pantry, homemade risotto is my delicious solution – continue reading for the recipe!

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Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Simmer the Stock, Prep, and Measure

Measure out the beef stock into a medium saucepot, making sure you have extra set aside for later if you need it. I like to have at least an extra cup on hand to be prepared, but you can always use water if you don’t have any left.

Set the saucepot over low heat and bring the stock to a gentle simmer without boiling it.

Adding warm stock to the risotto will help to gently and evenly cook the grains at a more efficient rate than you might with a cold or room temperature liquid.

As you’re heating the stock, you now have time to prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Measure out the kosher salt and black pepper – and make sure you have extra of both on hand for any final seasonings. Freshly cracked is best – consider buying salt and pepper mills.

Measure out the butter, arborio rice, and white wine.

Leave the butter out at room temperature – it will be easier to melt into the warm rice if the butter is at room temperature rather than using chilled and firm butter straight from the refrigerator.

We advise to choose a drier white wine that would complement a savory dish – review our article on cooking with wine for more guidance.

If you did not buy pre-grated Pecorino Romano, grate a wedge fresh by using one of the coarser holes of a box grater.

Dice a medium onion, using a sharp knife and a sturdy cutting board. Need some help with this? Gain prep confidence by reviewing our article on how to cut an onion. And how to do so without any tears!

Mince 4 cloves of garlic, or use a garlic press.

Clean and slice the mushrooms.

If your basil leaves are small, you don’t need to do anything else. The whole leaves will serve as a pretty presentation, and will be small enough to eat whole. If they are large, save chopping the basil for when you are closer to serving.

Step 2 – Saute the Onion and Garlic

I recommend using a saute pan with tall sides, one that is at least a 3.5-quart capacity. I repeatedly use Made In Cookware’s 3.5-quart Stainless Clad Saute Pan for not just risotto, but for roasting, braising, and even frying.

You can review its specs in our review of Made In’s cookware, and then buy it directly from the company website or from Amazon.

Set the pan on the burner next to the pot with the warm stock. You’ll thank us later for this setup!

Heat two tablespoons of the butter in the saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions start to turn translucent, about two to three minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Don’t burn the garlic!

A sturdy spoon or spatula will work best throughout the entire cooking process – don’t choose anything that is too flimsy that won’t be able to help you deglaze the pan or move thickened grains.

Step 3 – Brown the Mushrooms

Stir the sliced mushrooms with the onion and garlic. There will be a lot of mushrooms, but they will cook down significantly. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid and start to brown and caramelize.

This will take about eight to ten minutes.

Try not to stir too much – you want to develop some deep, browned areas on the exterior for more flavor and texture.

Remove about one cup of mushrooms and set them aside on a plate. These will be reserved for the final garnish. They will provide a nice textural and color contrast to the ones that remain in the pan for the rest of the cooking process.

Step 4 – Toast the Grains

Add the rice to the saute pan and stir frequently for one to two minutes. The rice will begin to turn opaque and it will just start emitting a subtle toasted smell.

You don’t want your grains to burn here, so this will be quick – stay glued to the pan during this step!

Step 5 – Deglaze with White Wine

Add the wine to the rice mixture in order to deglaze the pan.

Stir and scrape the bottom and sides to release any browned bits. These are concentrated specks of flavor that you don’t want to stay stuck to the bottom of the pot – and this is exactly the reason why you want to use a sturdy spoon that will be able to scrape with ease!

Continue to cook for another two to three minutes, stirring frequently, until most of the wine has been absorbed.

Step 6 – Add the Stock in Increments and Cook to Thicken

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Carefully pour about 1/2 cup of the warm stock into the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until the broth has been absorbed.

This is why it is best to set the saute pan next to the saucepot with the stock – you’ll be able to safely and efficiently transfer the stock to the rice with quick movements.

For easy transferring, use a large ladle for this step – the amount does not have to be exact, as long as you are pouring roughly 1/2 cup at a time.

Add another 1/2 cup of the stock to the pot and stir frequently until it has been absorbed.

Continue this process of adding more stock in 1/2-cup increments and stirring frequently, being sure to wait until the rice absorbs the stock before adding the next 1/2 cup.

Cook the rice using this method until it is tender, which can take 35 to 45 minutes total. But keep in mind that this is simply an estimated time frame. Cooking may take more or less time.

The most important point here is ensuring that the rice is tender enough. You will need to taste-test a small spoonful to check the texture when you are nearing the end of the estimated cooking time.

If the grains are still unpleasantly crunchy after 35 minutes of cooking, you’ll know to continue cooking and test again in another 5 to 10 minutes or so. If the grains are soft, perhaps with a little al dente bite if that’s what you like, you know the grains are ready.

You may not need to use all of the stock. But remember that extra stock, or water, you have? This is when it can potentially come into play!

The consistency of the risotto should be similar to a very thick porridge. If it is too dry for your liking, add more stock. If it’s too runny, continue cooking to reduce the liquid until it reaches the desired consistency.

Step 7 – Stir in the Seasonings, Butter, and Cheese

When you’re pleased with the rice’s texture and consistency, remove the pan from the heat.

Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, two tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Continue stirring to completely melt the cheese and butter.

The rest of the cheese will be used for serving.

Step 8 – Garnish and Serve

Check for seasonings and add more salt and pepper to taste. But only add in small increments! If you accidentally added too much salt, we have some solutions to fix this problem.

Now is the time to chop the basil on a cutting board, if the leaves are large.

Divide the risotto among dinner bowls. Sprinkle the top of each serving with the basil and remaining grated cheese.

Serve and enjoy immediately while still hot!

Switch out the Shrooms

Cremini mushrooms are only one among the many varieties you can use in this recipe – explore your options!

As long as you use roughly an equal weight, you can switch out the cremini with your personal favorite option that can hold its texture well to a longer cooking time.

For our own suggestions, we would choose white button, shiitake, oyster, king trumpet, maitake, or porcini.