Parmesan Risotto
Published 3/6/2021 • Updated 10/6/2023
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This parmesan risotto is a creamy, velvety dinner made with arborio rice and homemade parmesan broth. We love to make this risotto on a chilly fall day served with a crusty piece of bread.
We do a lot of recipe testing with parmesan cheese, leaving us with leftover parmesan cheese rinds. Our homemade parmesan broth was born and obviously, we had to develop a parmesan risotto using the broth.
This risotto is insanely creamy. Our kids call it “rice mac and cheese” and the adults gobble it right up.
What You Need for Parmesan Risotto
All you need are 9 simple ingredients to get the most delicious risotto you’ve ever tasted:
- parmesan broth – we can’t wait for you to try our homemade parmesan broth. It’s a homemade broth made with veggie scraps and parmesan rind.
- olive oil – oil is used to saute the onion, garlic, and rice.
- white onion – feel free to swap for yellow onion instead.
- garlic – this parmesan risotto calls for 3 cloves of garlic, but it won’t be made if you double it.
- arborio rice – this is starchy rice which is what helps give risotto its creamy texture. We don’t recommend swapping for any other rice.
- parmesan cheese – the fresher the better!
- salt and pepper – always to taste.
- parsley or thyme – fresh herbs are the cherry on top for this risotto recipe.
Variations + Substitutions
There are so many ways you can change up this parmesan risotto. If you don’t have parmesan broth, you can use any type of broth you have on hand.
If you’d like to add vegetables to this risotto, saute mushrooms before toasting the rice. Mushrooms add great flavor.
Great Jones
The Dutchess
This is hands-down our favorite Dutch oven. It’s a 6.75 quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven that’s super high-quality and gorgeous.
FAQ
Risotto is an Italian rice dish typically made with arborio rice. Risotto is slow-cooked in a liquid such as broth to create a delicious pillowy mound of flavorful rice.
Parmesan risotto is arborio rice slow-cooked with parmesan and garlic. This parmesan risotto recipe actually uses a homemade parmesan broth to really get that flavor punch.
Don’t have time to make homemade parmesan broth? No worries! You can simply use any kind of broth for this recipe. Vegetable, chicken, or beef broth works too.
Storage
Let creamy parmesan risotto cool completely. Then, transfer to an airtight container and seal. Store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Reheating Instructions: Heat the risotto over medium/low heat on the stovetop. Add about 1/2 cup of broth to the risotto to loosen it.
Can you freeze parmesan risotto?
Unfortunately, we don’t recommend freezing risotto.
What to Serve with Parmesan Risotto
We recommend serving this risotto with crusty bread or a simple salad.
Creamy Parmesan Risotto
Ingredients
- 4 cups parmesan broth, plus more if needed*
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium white onion, finely diced
- ¼ teaspoon salt, separated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or thyme
Instructions
- First, add the broth to a pot and bring to a slow boil. Turn heat to low and keep broth warm.
- Heat a large deep skillet or dutch oven over medium/high heat. Add olive oil.
- When the olive oil is fragrant, add onion to the pan and sprinkle with ⅛ teaspoon salt.
- Sauté the onion for 4-6 minutes or until translucent.
- Add garlic to the onion, mix, and sauté until the garlic is fragrant.
- Next, add the arborio rice to the pan and mix the rice with the onion until combined.
- Turn heat to medium and add ½ cup or broth to the rice and stir until the borth absorbs completely. Repeat this step until there is about ½ cup of broth left. This takes 20-25 minutes. Do not rush this! After you’ve used 3.5 cups of broth, your rice should be almost cooked. Give it a try to see if it’s close to al dente. If it’s still very hard, you’ll need to use up to ½ cup to 1 cup extra broth.
- Add the final ½ cup of broth to the rice and let it absorb about halfway and then add grated parmesan cheese and pepper to the rice. Stir until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle fresh herbs and parmesan cheese to the top of the risotto and serve.
Tips & Notes
- Broth – if you don’t have time to make parmesan broth, any kind of broth works.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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