Parmesan Risotto Recipe: How to Make Creamy Risotto

Parmesan risotto is a creamy Italian rice dish with a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese stirred in at the end. Parmesan is a hard cheese with a lengthy aging process and adds an umami flavor to the rice dish.

The key to risotto is the cooking method: sautéing the starch and then cooking it on low heat as you add ladles of broth. This allows the rice to release its starches gradually, yielding a perfectly al dente result in a creamy sauce. Common ingredients in classic risotto include butter, sautéed shallots, dry white wine, garlic cloves, and seasonal vegetables.

Consider these tips to make the best Parmesan risotto:

1.Use arborio rice. Risotto recipes traditionally call for arborio rice—a rounded, short-grain white rice with a high starch content—though you can substitute carnaroli rice or other grains for an oat or barley risotto.
2. Warm the broth. Warm the stock in a small saucepan before adding it to the rice. Adding cold or room temperature stock to the hot pot of rice will cool the ingredients down and interrupt the cooking process.
3. Slowly add the liquid. Adding your stock in small portions allows the rice to slowly absorb the liquid while emitting its starches to make the dish creamy. As a rule, wait until the rice has fully absorbed one portion of stock before adding more. You can make this dish vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock for chicken stock.
4. Remove the risotto from heat before adding dairy. After adding all of the stock, remove the risotto from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese. The fats found in dairy products can break and separate when heated.
5. Reheat leftovers on the stovetop. Risotto will thicken as it sits in the refrigerator. To bring back its creamier consistency, combine leftover risotto with a few tablespoons of liquid and slowly warm it in a medium sauté pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasoning as desired.