Kale and Mushroom Risotto

This kale and mushroom risotto recipe comes together in about 30 minutes and is incredibly easy to make. Enjoy with a glass of wine and toasty bread.

After all those holiday sweets, we’re ready for something savory, are you? We’d been brainstorming entrees for a special holiday dinner when this farroto caught our eye. We decided to try a variation on a traditional risotto using our base recipe with added mushrooms and kale.

Shallot, butter, Parmesan and white wine create some kind of magic in this dish. If you’ve never tried a risotto, we’d highly recommend it. It’s not too difficult, and the flavor that can come out of these ingredients is something wonderful. If my family didn’t have the tradition of oyster stew each year on Christmas Eve, maybe they’d consider this dish (anyone else have this tradition?).

Related: 12 Easy Dutch Oven Recipes

Tips for making this kale and mushroom risotto

There are a few key things to remember when making a good risotto:

• Make sure to use Arborio rice—this is short-grain rice specifically used for making risotto. It’s high in starch, which is what makes it ideal for whipping up a batch of creamy homemade risotto.
• Warm the broth separately—I know it seems like a hassle to keep the broth warm while making this risotto, but adding warm broth to the risotto as it’s cooking actually makes for a creamier dish. If you added cold broth to the risotto, it’d take even more time for everything to heat up and cook through, and you’d run the risk of overcooking the Arborio rice.
• Resist the urge to rush—when making this kale and mushroom risotto, there’s a special technique you need to follow of adding broth to the rice and letting it cook down; this is what will lend the creamy texture. Because Arborio rice is so high in starch, it needs extra time to release the starches properly. If you rush cooking the risotto, you’ll wind up with a dish that’s more similar in consistency to regular rice. Totally not what you’re going for!
• Don’t omit the white wine!—it adds the right complexity to the dish. If you’re in a pinch (like we were when we made this version), you can substitute brandy for a similar taste. The alcohol cooks off completely though, so this dish will still be kid-friendly.

Enjoy, and happy holidays!

What are you making this year? Let us know your favorite dishes, or any new traditions you hope to start.

Looking for more vegetarian Italian recipes?

• Pumpkin Vegetarian Stuffed Shells
• Creamy Vegan Pasta Marinara
• Orecchiette with Roasted Asparagus and Feta
• Skillet Eggplant Marinara 
• Ribollita (Tuscan Vegetable Stew)

This recipe is…

Vegetarian.

Related: Try using our Homemade Vegetable Broth for this recipe!

Kale and Mushroom Risotto

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(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 1)

5 from 3 reviews

• Author: a Couple Cooks
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 4
• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

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Description

This kale and mushroom risotto recipe comes together in about 30 minutes and is incredibly easy to make. Enjoy with a glass of wine and toasty bread.

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Ingredients

• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups mushrooms (we used shiitake and oyster)
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 large shallot
• 2½ tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
• 3/4 cup white wine or brandy
• ¾ cup Parmesan cheese
• Fresh ground pepper

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Instructions

1. Place broth in a medium sauce pan and heat to a simmer; reduce heat and keep warm.
2. Clean and chop 2 cups mushrooms. Remove the stems from the kale and chop the leaves. Mince 1 shallot.
3. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet, pot or Dutch oven, heat 2½ tablespoons butter over medium high heat. Add the shallot, mushrooms, kale, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the shallots are translucent, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice and stir to combine; cook for 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add ¾ cup white wine. Cook, stirring, until liquid is almost evaporated, a few minutes.
4. At this point, you’re ready to start adding the broth. Add ½ cup warmed broth to skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until broth is almost absorbed. Repeat, gradually adding broth ½ cup at a time and stirring, until rice is tender but still al dente and sauce is creamy (you may not need all the broth). The process should take about 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Stir in ¾ cup Parmesan cheese. Continue to stir until combined (or turn off the heat and cover the dish for a few minutes). Remove from heat and season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan cheese.

Notes

Adapted from A Couple Cooks with inspiration from Hortus Cuisine

Keywords: mushroom risotto

About the Authors

Sonja Overhiser

Cookbook Author and writer

Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.

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Alex Overhiser

Cookbook Author and photographer

Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.

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