Oven Baked Mushroom Risotto

The perfect no-stir risotto doesn’t exi…

Actually it does, and we have the recipe right here. This is perfect if you love risotto but hate standing there stirring for 20+ minutes. Delicious, easy, low maintenance with the lightest, fluffiest arborio rice – just a total game changer.

I n g r e d i e n t s

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 250g mixed mushrooms (e.g., button, chestnut, shiitake, exotic), sliced
• 50g butter (or olive oil for dairy-free option) – half for the risotto, half for the mushrooms
• 300g risotto rice
• 1 glass white wine
• 750ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
• 50g Parmesan cheese, grated (omit for dairy-free option)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

m e t h o d

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C static or 180°C fan.
2. In a large Staub pot or similar dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft, without browning.
3. Add the risotto rice to the pot and stir well until coated in the butter.
4. Pour in the white wine (if using) and cook for 2 minutes until absorbed.
5. Gradually add the hot stock to the rice, stirring briefly. Cover the pot with a tightly fitting lid.
6. Place the pot in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the rice is just cooked. There may be some liquid left – this is ok it will get soaked up, but the rice should be al dente – just with a slight bite. Oven cooking time will vary slightly so do test it after 20 minutes to be sure.
7. While the risotto is baking, heat a large frying pan over high heat. Add the butter, sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they are nicely browned.
8. Add the finely chopped garlic to the mushrooms and season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook for another minute, then remove from heat.
9. Once the rice is cooked, remove the pot from the oven and stir through most of the grated Parmesan cheese – you can use more than 50g if you like the depth of the flavour. Another trick is to keep the rind off a parmesan cheese and add this to the pot before popping in the oven. 
10. Add the cooked mushrooms to the risotto and gently fold them in. Let the risotto sit in the pot with the lid on for a few minutes.
11. Stir in the chopped parsley just before serving.
12. Serve the baked mushroom risotto sprinkled with the remaining Parmesan cheese and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!