Cheater’s 15 minute mushroom risotto
If you’re a risotto purist, look away now. This definitely isn’t how they make risotto in Italy – but if, like me, you’re often feeling far too lazy to make risotto the proper way, this is the recipe for you!
I absolutely adore mushroom risotto. It’s a very common vegetarian option in restaurants, and I know there are plenty of vegetarians who have grown sick of being stuck with it one too many times, but not me. I’d quite happily eat mushroom risotto every day if it was offered. Carbs, cheese, mushrooms – what’s not to love?
But, if you think I’m going to stand at the hob for an hour every day making a risotto, you’ve obviously not been reading this blog for very long. It’s far too much effort! Totally fine for a dinner party or a special occasion, but not exactly what I like spending any old Thursday night doing.
Enter: my cheater’s 15 minute mushroom risotto! It tastes just as good (well, almost as good) as a risotto that’s been slaved over for an hour, but it only takes 15 minutes.
So, what’s my secret for making a mushroom risotto in 15 minutes? Take a look:
Pre-cooked rice! I did say this was a cheater’s recipe, after all.
And before you say anything, I know that technically risotto should be made with arborio rice (or some similar short-grained rice) – but long-grained rice works just as well when you’re a cheater!
These trays of rice from Veetee are pre-cooked, so you can either stick them in the microwave for a couple of minutes to reheat, or just dump them straight into the pan like I did. They just need heating through and they’re good to go!
Veetee also do a few other varieties of microwaveable rice – basmati rice, brown rice, pilau rice, egg fried rice, and even a few more flavourful versions like spicy Mexican rice (which sounds amazing, by the way). I also really like their ‘savoury rice’ range. You just pop a packet in a pan on the hob with some water, leave it for about ten minutes, and you’ve got a full meal – I loved the Spanish paella variety, and the Portuguese peri peri one sounds amazing too. You can check out the full range here, and they’re available from all major supermarkets.
‘How did you recreate the gooeyness of a risotto?’ I hear you ask (humour me). Well, if you cook the rice in a little stock to let it get a tiny bit softer, then add a good handful of parmesan cheese, there’s gooeyness in abundance.
This same concept can obviously be applied to other flavours of risotto too – but remember that some other types will take longer than 15 minutes. If you’re fancying a butternut squash risotto, don’t expect your squash to have roasted in 15 minutes. I’m not a magician.
So – anyone care to join me for a super quick risotto? This recipe will make either one generous portion, or enough for two if you’re serving it with a side. Grab a pack of Veetee rice and get involved!
Cheater’s 15 minute mushroom risotto
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 medium mushrooms diced
- 300 g tray of Veetee microwaveable long-grain rice ~1 1/2 cups, not uncooked rice
- 150 ml vegetable stock ~1/2 cup
- 50 g vegetarian parmesan-style cheese grated
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok, and add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add the rice and vegetable stock, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook for a few more minutes until the rice is hot and most of the excess liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, and add the cheese and parsley. Mix well until the cheese has melted. Season with plenty of black pepper, and serve.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Want another super quick version of a meal that’s usually pretty labour-intensive? Try my vegetarian enchiladas for one!
It’s always so interesting seeing the difference between UK and American English. I’ve noticed UK food bloggers call easy/short cut recipes “cheater” recipes. American bloggers call them “quick” recipes. I wonder what this says about our respective cultures? Americans think finding shortcuts is resourceful and Brits think adapting something to make it easier is perhaps a little unethical? So interesting! Anyway :-) I tried your recipe with leftover brown rice (as another commenter said, it’s pretty well impossible to make brown rice risotto from scratch) and was delighted with the results and with not having to spend forever at the stove making it. Maybe cheaters do prosper ;-)
Haha I don’t necessarily think it’s a cultural thing, as I would definitely say ‘quick recipe’ too – it’s more that an Italian person would probably sneer at using microwave rice to make a risotto as it’s not really how you’re meant to do it! ;) Glad you enjoyed it!
This was a great way to use up leftover rice in a risotto-ish way and this recipe was a great guide! I used 1 container of sliced mushrooms, but could have used 2.
Alterations: I used 1 small onion and doubled the parmesan. Also, I tripled the veggie stock and did cook for longer than the suggested time to achieve more of a risotto finish.
Additions: I used a bit of porcini powder and truffle oil and a splash of white wine.
Awesome, glad you enjoyed it :)