Easy Champagne Risotto Recipe | ZagLeft (2024)

You won’t believe how easy it is to make Champagne Risotto with this simple recipe. This wonderful rice recipe provides you with a creamy, flavorful risotto. It’s the only risotto recipe you need!

Risotto is a traditional Italian rice dish usually made with Arborio rice. This short-grained rice is cooked with broth and stirred until creamy and tender. Cooking the rice slowly allows the rice to release its starches which creates a rich, velvety sauce.

Why This Recipe Works

• One of my favorite dishes happens to be risotto. At its simplest, risotto is a hearty, comforting rice dish where the rice is cooked in broth until its creamy.
• Risotto is such a versatile dish, any number of ingredients can be used to enhance the flavor.
• It has a reputation for being fussy, and while risotto does take a little time to cook and does require stirring the ingredients in the pan, this easy risotto actually takes no longer than about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredient Notes

See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.

• Mushrooms: I like to use shiitake, Crimini or baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned and quartered. If you don’t like mushrooms, feel free to leave them out.
• Shallot and garlic: Finely chopped shallot and garlic add quite a lot of flavor to this risotto, definitely don’t leave them out.
• Butter: Use salted butter.
• Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this risotto recipe as well as in every other recipe on ZagLeft that calls for olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It’s my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use a lighter olive oil instead.
• Chicken broth: I use low sodium chicken broth in my recipe. Feel free to use vegetable broth to make a vegetarian risotto.
• Rice: Use Arborio rice, it’s the best rice for making risotto.
• Champagne: I prefer using Champagne. Feel free to use a dry white wine in this recipe.
• Salt and pepper: For flavor.
• Parmesan cheese: Helps make the risotto extra creamy and delicious!

How To Make This Recipe

1. Sliced mushrooms, chopped shallot and garlic are softened in butter and olive oil in a large deep sided pan.
2. Rice is added to the pan where it absorbs the butter and oil and “toasts” in the pan.
3. Add in a little Champagne, then add warmed broth to the pan, a little at a time, stirring until the liquid has absorbed into the rice. This process is continued until the rice is completely cooked and the risotto is creamy.
4. Parmesan cheese and butter finish off the process.

Expert Tips

• You need to be sure to have all of your ingredients handy. When you’re in the middle of making risotto, it is not the time to search for an ingredient.
• The most popular rice to use here in the US is Arborio because it’s easily available. This is what I use.
• Eat the risotto as soon as it’s cooked. Letting the risotto sit out will make it lose its creaminess.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Should I Serve With Risotto?

A big bowl risotto makes the perfect meal, but you might like to serve it along with any of these wonderful dishes:

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Beef Tenderloin

What Should I Do With Leftover Champagne?

I wouldn’t suggest you open a bottle of champagne simply for this recipe. Use a bit of the champagne in the risotto, then pour and enjoy the rest! Leftover champagne can also be used in refreshing Limoncello Champagne Aperitifs.

You may also use a dry white wine in this recipe. Use a wine you enjoy drinking.

If you’re looking for a single serving Risotto, you can find that recipe as well as many other single serving recipes by visiting our One Dish Kitchen site.

Enjoy!

Recipe