This is a comforting, easy, and super creamy parmesan risotto. It’s the best way to savor the subtle and clean taste of risotto rice, with its velvety texture and slightly chewy center.
This easy Italian dish makes a wonderful main course or side dish, or you can use it as a blank canvas to which you can add your favorite vegetables.
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The easiest risotto recipe
This recipe celebrates risotto rice, the star of creamy and comforting parmesan risotto.
Many are the varieties of this superior grain from Italy. The most common ones are Carnaroli and Arborio, both grown between Milan and Verona in the north of Italy.
This dish allows you to appreciate risotto rice at its best while mastering the fundamental technique for most risotto variations, such as mushroom risotto, tomato risotto, saffron risotto, and most other risotto dishes.
I could keep on going; we have published more than 15 recipes with risotto on this blog 😋.
Arborio rice is cooked with hot broth until it releases its starches. This process is very simple and you don’t even have to stir that much, just enough so that the rice doesn’t stick to the pot.
As we add freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and cold butter, the mantecare process transforms this simple rice into something very special.
Guys! 5 simple ingredients for an absolutely stunning and deeply satisfying meal 🤯.
Honestly, if you are looking for easy vegetarian dinner ideas, this parmesan risotto is a must-try!
Ingredients
- Risotto rice: there are many varieties of risotto rice. Arborio is the most common one outside of Italy. Carnaroli would be best for this recipe, but if you can’t find it, you can stick to Arborio.
- Onion and olive oil: finely chopped and sautéed in extra virgin olive oil or butter, onion forms the flavor base for this recipe. You can substitute onion with shallots.
- Parmesan: we recommend Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano. Get a piece and grate it at home. Avoid pre-grated products as they contain stabilizers that won’t allow the cheese to melt the same way.
- Butter: best if European unsalted butter or American-made butter with 82% or more butterfat. You can substitute butter with good quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Broth: you can use vegetable broth.
- Salt & pepper: easy with the salt, as the parmesan has quite a bit of sapidity. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste at the end.
How to make parmesan risotto
Add the broth to a pot and bring it to a boil. Season with a little salt, about 1 teaspoon.
Lower the heat and keep the broth hot, on a low simmer, while you make the risotto.
Chop the onion very finely.
Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pot. Add the chopped onion and sauté on medium-low heat for 5 minutes. The onion should be soft but not brown.
Tip: the onion should be chopped very finely so that it melts in the rice, and you won’t be able to tell it’s there.
Now add the risotto rice and toast it in the pot for 2 minutes while stirring. Important: you should never rinse risotto rice.
Add 2 cups of hot vegetable broth and let simmer on medium-low heat until the broth is absorbed.
Stir occasionally, not too much, just to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Repeat this process of adding 2 cups of hot broth at a time until the rice is cooked but has a slightly chewy center.
You’ll need about 15 minutes in total.
When the rice is cooked, and the last broth has been almost completely absorbed, turn the heat off.
Wait 30 seconds, add the cold butter cut into dice and the grated parmesan, and stir gently to melt. If too thick, add a splash of broth.
Cover with a lid and let rest for 2 minutes. This is important!
Taste and adjust for salt. Serve with a twist of freshly cracked pepper on top.
Tip: here’s a list of vegetable side dishes for risotto.
Variations
You can add your favorite vegetables to this parmesan risotto.
Sauté your vegetables of choice (we recommend sautéed zucchini, sautéed mushroom, or sautéed asparagus) and add them to the rice at three-quarters of the cooking time.
Here, we made a delicious parmesan risotto with sautéed zucchini. Louise ate the whole plate! She loved it.
Tips
Never rinse: risotto rice should never be rinsed. Rinsing will remove the starch, which is essential to making the dish creamy.
Broth: add 2 cups of broth at a time, wait for it to be absorbed by the rice, then add more. This helps prevent the rice from getting too watery.
Stirring: unlike common belief, risotto rice should NOT be stirred continuously, but only enough to prevent it from sticking to the pot. Stirring too much will damage the grain.
Mantecare: that’s the last step of risotto making, and it means “to make creamy” in Italian. It’s the step when we add parmesan and butter. It’s essential to do this step with the HEAT OFF to prevent the cheese from getting stringy. The butter should be cold from the fridge.
Last two minutes: risotto should sit covered for two minutes after cooking before being eaten. This allows the flavors to meld and the temperature to decrease by a few degrees so that we can safely eat the parmesan risotto and appreciate all its flavor.
Storage
Make ahead: parmesan risotto is not suitable for meal prep.
Refrigerator: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The best way to eat leftovers is to use them to make other delicious Italian recipes such as:
Alternatively, reheat leftovers in the microwave.
Similar recipes
If you liked this creamy parmesan risotto, you will also enjoy these risotto dishes:
Parmesan risotto
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 1½ cups arborio rice or carnaroli rice
- 6 – 7 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2½ ounces parmesan
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add 6 – 7 cups vegetable broth to a pot and bring it to a boil. Season with a little salt, about 1 teaspoon.Lower the heat and keep the broth hot, on a low simmer, while you make the risotto.Chop 1 small onion very finely.Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a medium-sized pot. Add the chopped onion and sauté on medium-low heat for 5 minutes.The onion should be soft but not brown.
- Now add 1½ cups arborio rice and toast it in the pot for 2 minutes while stirring.Important: you should never rinse risotto rice.
- Add 2 cups of hot vegetable broth and let simmer on medium-low heat until the broth is absorbed.Stir occasionally, not too much, just to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.Repeat this process of adding 2 cups of hot broth at a time until the rice is cooked but has a slightly chewy center.You’ll need about 15 minutes in total.
- When the rice is cooked, and the last broth has been almost completely absorbed, turn the heat off.Wait 30 seconds, add 3 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into dice, and 2½ ounces parmesan (grated).Stir gently to melt. If too thick, add a splash of broth.Cover with a lid and let rest for 2 minutes. This is important!
- Taste and adjust for salt. Serve with a twist of freshly cracked pepper on top.
Notes
- Never wash your risotto rice before cooking, as the natural starch is essential for achieving that signature creamy texture.
- When adding broth to your risotto, pour it in 2-cup increments and allow each addition to be fully absorbed before adding more.
- Despite common cooking wisdom, risotto doesn’t need constant stirring. Instead, stir just enough to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- The “mantecare” step (which means “to make creamy” in Italian) is crucial: remove the pot from heat completely before adding cold butter and parmesan cheese.
- Always let your finished risotto rest covered for two minutes before serving.
- Arborio rice: substitute carnaroli rice or generic risotto rice.
- Onion: substitute shallots.
- Extra virgin olive oil: substitute butter.
- Parmesan: we recommend parmigiano reggiano or grana padano.
- Butter: best if with 82% or more butterfat or European.
Nutrition
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