ComScore

30 Easy Risotto Recipes That Are the Definition of Comfort Food

Risotto gets a bad rap for being high-maintenance—the kind of dish that you have to spend hours stirring, your arm getting sore as you pour in ladle after ladle of hot broth (only to have the rice turn out mushy). But with the right recipe and a little guidance, risotto can be a great (and even a weeknight-friendly) option as a main or side dish. Here are 30 of our favorite risotto recipes to whip up at home.

27 One-Pot Pasta Recipes For Lazy Nights


1. Baked Chicken And Mushroom Risotto

There’s no toiling over a hot stove here. This clever recipe goes right in the oven, leaving your hands free to get the rest of the meal together (and/or wrangle children, finish work and kick back with a glass of wine).

2. Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed With Barley Risotto

Using barley instead of arborio rice gives the classic dish a unique, nutty flavor and lots of healthy, whole-grain goodness.

3. Lobster Risotto

So elegant and impressive, no one will ever guess how easy it is to make. (Seriously—you're only nine ingredients away.)

4. Sage-barley Risotto With Butternut Squash

Another grain swap that makes risotto fast and healthy. Not only is barley a quick-cooking ingredient, but it also packs a punch of protein.

5. Parmesan Risotto

As simple as this recipe is, there are a few key steps to making it flawlessly. Be sure to heat the water ahead of time so when it's added to the rice, it doesn't slow the cooking process. And be sure to keep stirring so the risotto stays moist and creamy.

6. White Risotto With Corn, Carrots And Kale

When summer and fall produce unite. Feel free to substitute other veggies and greens if you'd prefer, like asparagus, spinach or arugula.

7. Instant Pot Risotto à La Carbonara

Can you believe this comfort food hybrid only needs 25 minutes to come together? Bring on the crispy pancetta, salty Parmesan and dry white wine.

8. Joanna Gaines’s Spring Vegetable Risotto

The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and spring is in full force—at least, that's what this veggie-loaded dish tastes like. It's packed with radishes, peas, spinach, chives and mushrooms.

9. Mushroom Risotto

Instead of stirring the risotto nonstop for 30 minutes, we save it for the very end. Don't worry: It'll turn out just as creamy, plus it gives you more time to set the table or prepare the main course.

10. Butternut Squash Risotto With Crispy Leeks

This autumn beauty deserves a spot on your Thanksgiving table. It's extra sweet in flavor, due to the butternut squash being pureed into the chicken broth that's used to cook the rice.

11. Tomato And Yellow Zucchini Risotto

Despite its luxurious consistency, this summer stunner is dairy-free and vegan. The secret is cooking the zucchini down long enough so that it turns uber creamy without the help of butter, cheese or cream.

12. Vegan Instant Pot Farro Risotto

Lemon- and miso-spiked white bean puree is the key to all its creaminess. Don't even get us started on the saucy herbed tomatoes.

13. Farro Risotto With Butternut Squash And Scallions

Butternut is arguably the most popular fall squash, so feel free to swap in acorn, kabocha or delicata if you've already had your fill for the season.

14. Creamy Spring Risotto

Asparagus and peas reign supreme in this decadent bowl of Parmesan-kissed splendor.

15. Lemon And Spinach Orzotto

It's basically the most low-maintenance risotto you'll ever make, since it's finished in less than an hour and requires only minimal stirring.

16. Easy Brown Rice Risotto With Mushrooms And Fresh Oregano

Whether you use brown arborio or short-grain brown rice, this dish is loaded with nutrition (and lots of buttery, cheesy mushrooms).

17. One-pot Creamy Baked Risotto With Lemon Pepper Chicken

Make it once, eat it all week. Be sure to use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs so it turns out as juicy, crispy and flavorful as possible.

18. Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto

Everyone’s favorite new gadget is a dream for making risotto. It’s done in 20 minutes, but tastes like you spent two hours stirring it on the stove.

19. Quick Cauliflower ‘risotto’ With Asparagus And Cilantro-basil Pesto

Is there anything cauliflower can’t do? (No. The answer is no.)

20. Brown Butter Scallops With Parmesan Risotto

From fridge to table in half an hour. We kid you not. Be sure to pat the scallops dry before searing them—their outer crust will turn out crispier.

21. Vegan Barley Asparagus Risotto

This dish from Coterie member Gena Hamshaw is way too creamy to be vegan…but magically, it is. Chalk it up to vegetable broth and white wine.

22. Quinoa Risotto With Pan-roasted Mushrooms

Who knew healthy quinoa could do all *this*? (Thanks for the inspo, Coterie member Gaby Dalkin.)

23. Easy Lemon Faux Risotto

The secret to this recipe? Swapping arborio rice for orzo, a rice-shaped pasta that cooks up quickly and beautifully every time.

24. Vegan Pumpkin Risotto With Rosemary

Canned pumpkin gives Phoebe Lapine’s risotto a decadent, creamy texture without a drop of butter or cream (or excessive stirring).

25. Italian Quinoa Risotto Lasagna With Truffle Oil

Not only does the quinoa risotto boast butter, fresh herbs and truffle oil, but it's also made with three types of cheese: Parmesan, provolone and mozzarella.

26. No-stir Creamy Lemon And Herb Baked Risotto

Baking the risotto in the oven means you can spend less time stirring and more time making the main course. (Might we suggest shrimp, salmon or chicken?)

27. Curry Chicken With Mushroom Risotto

Using coconut milk in place of traditional cream in the risotto is such a smart idea, since it pairs beautifully with the ground turmeric and curry powder in the chicken.

28. Risotto-stuffed Acorn Squash

C'mon, how pretty would these look nestled between gravy-topped roast turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing?

29. Garlic-brown Butter Mushroom Risotto

In case you thought brown butter risotto couldn't get more decadent, topping it with a runny poached egg really takes the dish to a new level of heavenly.

30. Vegan Arancini

In case you're wondering what to do with all that leftover risotto, these cheesy handhelds sound like a solid plan to us.


For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.


purewow author

taryn pire

Food Editor

Taryn Pire is PureWow’s food editor and has been writing about all things delicious since 2016. She’s developed recipes, reviewed restaurants and investigated food trends at...