Risotto, in a slow cooker, is Risotto perfection!
Risotto, that yummy gourmet comfort food, has intimidated a lot of cooks, including me. After seeing an enraged, cursing Chef Gordon Ramsay throw a saute pan full of risotto into the garbage while Hell’s Kitchen competitors look on with wide eyed shock, you definitely get the impression that you should be terrified to attempt risotto. The dish also gets a bad rap because it is very time consuming, needing to be stirred and added to constantly for at least 20 - 25 minutes. What busy Mom has that kind of uninterrupted time on her hands? But if you really think about risotto, and why it needs time and attention, it really lends itself to crock pot cooking. Yes, I know that there are going to be “Risotto purists” who will think that my method is a sacrilege and my reply to them is, “get over it”. Anyone who has had my version hasn’t complained. I rest my case.
PrintSlow Cooker Risottto Recipe
Creamy and smooth, this recipe is so easy!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- ¼ c. olive oil, plus a little extra
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 ¼ c. arborio rice
- ½ c. dry white wine
- 3 ¾ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- ½ c. grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- 3 tbs. heavy cream
- 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saute pan and over medium heat saute the shallots until they are translucent.
- Coat the inside of the slow cooker with olive oil.
- Add the sauted shallots and oil to the slow cooker.
- Add the rice and coat with shallot/oil mixture.
- Add ¼ c. of wine and chicken broth.
- Add the salt and thyme and stir ingredients together.
- Place cooker on slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours or until liquid is absorbed into rice.
- minutes before the rice is done, sauté mushrooms in sauté pan with 1tbsp. of olive oil and ¼ c. of white wine.
- Stir cream and cheese into slow cooker and stir. Let the mixture heat for another 5 minutes.
- Serve with mushrooms on top.
Kate says
Could you post the make and model of your slow cooker. I made this in an older model slow cooker and after 2-1/4 hours,I put it in a oven proof casserole and cooked it in the oven (400 F) for 25 minutes. There had been broth on top and the rice wasn't cooked at all after the 2 hour mark. I'm just wondering if maybe the problem might be our slowcookers have different wattages? I know the standard changed a while back
Sheryl T says
You are correct that slow cooker wattages and heat settings changed. Older slow cookers "Low" setting was deemed unhealthy as bacteria could live through the cooking process at that temperature. The standard was raised so today's slow cookers "Low" setting is much higher than ones that are 7 years old or older. I use my Cuisnart 6.5 Qt. Programmable slow cooker when cooking this recipe.
Patricia McGoldrick says
Recipe will be a great option for making risotto!
Hal says
Can this be made with brown rice?
Sheryl T says
I have never tried it. There are very good reasons for using Arborio rice rather than other rice, and I feel quite strongly that using brown rice would not get you the typical risotto end product. Arborio rice has more starch than other rice and is what gives risotto its creaminess. Arborio also has a "harder" center so it doesn't breakdown and turn to mush the way other rice may in attempt to get the creamy risotto texture.
Debbie says
Made this tonight and it came out awful. I followed the recipe exact but it was just a greasy gummy mess. I would love to know what went wrong.
Sheryl T says
I'm so sorry that it didn't work for you. Not having been there with you, I can't compare ingredients, equipment, technique, etc. to try to figure out what went wrong. Myself and others have had success with this recipe. Refer to previous comment (Louise on October 9, 2013 at 12:36 PM ) rated the recipe 5 stars and has used it successfully a number of times. I wish I could help you figure out what went wrong but across the Internet that is hard to do. So many things can come into play. I can only guess that it was a difference in some ingredient or possibly the slow cooker but any attempt to figure it out from this distance would be purely speculation. Again I am sorry it didn't work out for you. You sound upset and I wish I had an answer for you.
Michelle c-m says
How does this recipe hold up if I double it? Triple?
Sheryl T says
Wow! You must really like risotto! I have never doubled or tripled it so all I can say is give it a try. It would be dependent on your slow cooker capacity, of course, and might take a bit longer for a larger one but in all honesty, I don't know as I have never done it.
Marie says
This line totally threw me off "Add ¼ c. of wine and chicken broth." and I only added 1/4 Cup of the broth. I am sure this basic common sense to an intuitive chef but it ruined my recipe since I thought I would be adding the remainder of the broth later -- thinking it was some kind of a "slow cooker" detail that would be explained later.
Just thought I would mention it. Maybe even just "Add 1/4 C. of wine and all of chicken broth" would make a difference.
Thanks!
Sheryl T says
Thanks for the suggestion. I can see how it could be confusing, particularly for a less experienced cook.
Nancy says
I can't wait to try your recipe. I noticed that one person added chicken. Will chicken breast cook in 2 hours in the crockpot? Thanks for your help and your recipe!
Louise says
I love this recipe!
I tried it first as we were self-catering in fairly basic accommodation and I wasn't sure what kitchen equipment was available. We took the slow cooker and it is so much easier to take a set of cup measures than weighing scales, measuring jugs etc.
It works great, I add all sorts of extras such as chicken, prawns, sun-dried tomatoes and it is perfect every time. I have served it to several people including my brother-in-law who is a chef - they have all enjoyed it.
I will keep on cooking it with more experimentation!
Thank you.
Sheryl T says
I'm glad you enjoyed it...and now my nightmares about Gordon Ramsey telling me I am committing a risotto sacrilege will be gone thanks to your brother-in-law's chef approval!:-)
Emmanuelle says
It does make a lot of sense. However, I was brought up by a part-Italian single working mother who did cook risotto (and everything else from scratch) for us so I guess it's by no means impossible. We (mothers) just have to decide what is a priority in our kids' upbringing and act upon it. I can't thank my Mum too much for having transmitted us her love for quality food and I'm introducing my 3-year old girl to it too. She is now able to give me all the ingredients when I'm preparing food and of course stir whatever needs/can be stirred before cooking. If I remember well, that's how everything started with me too! I have risotto cooking in my crockpot as I type though, because I love testing new recipes or ways of preparing old ones.
Sheryl T says
I have to agree with you. Time spent with kids in the kitchen is so valuable. You're building memories and traditions that will last a lifetime. When I have the time, I like to go "old school" and do things the traditional way. But sometimes we have to take the easy way out, and this recipe is for those moments where efficiency wins out over tradition. In today's world, we have to make those choices unfortunately. God bless you for making your kids the priority in your life!!!!!!
Savannah says
Oh my this made me hungry! Thanks for sharing on Saturday Dishes. I hope you'll join us next week when we feature Mother's Day dishes. -Savannah
Paula says
Thanks for joining us at Saturday Dishes, Pinned to Saturday Dishes board ~ Paula
Amelia says
What happened to the other 1/4 cup of white wine?
Sheryl T says
I drank it ....LOL! It is added to the mushrooms in the saute pan with olive oil.
Michelle Day @ www.michellestastycreations.com says
Yummy! This looks delicious! I have yet to try my hand at risotto but I sure want to make this one 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Michelle's Tasty Creations.
Have a great week.
Peggy-PJH Designs says
With this recipe I might actually give risotto a try. It looks really good. Thanks for sharing it with us at Transformed Tuesday.
Hugs,
Peggy
Tonia@thegunnysack says
Fantastic! I love that you used your slow cooker! Thanks for partying with us at Time To Sparkle!
Lisa Lynn says
Yum! Thanks so much for sharing this on The Creative HomeAcre Hop!
Hope you can join us again this week!
http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/03/the-creative-homeacre-hop-9.html
Lyuba@willcookforsmiles says
The risotto sound wonderful! I've got to try it in a slow cooker!!
Jessica @ A Humble Creation says
This sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing at A New Creation party this week!
I have made risotto on the stovetop before, but never in a slow cooker. I will definitely be giving this recipe a try. Besides, anything with heavy cream is usually yum!
Allyson says
This looks so good! For some reason I have always been intimidated by Risotto, but I am going to try this. Pinning now! Thanks for sharing at Domestic Superhero Sharing Thursdays!
Diane says
Your risotto looks creamy and delicious! I found you on Thursday's Favorites...I just started a new link party. Come on by and link up your pinterest pin for this lovely risotto so others can pin it for their followers too! Hope you can stop by! Blessings! Diane
http://mylifeasrobinswife.com/2013/03/28/pin-it-again-friday-link-party/
Grandma Kc says
I just love your non-snob attitude! If it tastes great who cares how you got there!
Carrie says
Sounds delicious!! Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!
Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen says
How Perfect so much easier this way! Thanks for sharing at Show Me Your Plaid Monday's!
leslie says
Sounds and looks really yummy. Gotta try this one!
Holly says
I love risotto and mushrooms - I'll give it a try. Found you through Make it Pretty Monday. I’ve pinned this to my Crock board. I am now following.
Would love for you to share at the Creative Corner Hop.
Holly
Holly's Stamping Addiction
Carrie @ My Favorite Finds says
This looks awesome! Thanks for sharing at Pinworthy Projects.
Joyce says
Yes! I too remember the risotto rant on Hell's Kitchen and it scared the heck out of me too! All I need is the rice (have everything else) - think I'll pick it up tonight and try it on Wednesday....thanks!
Betty Taylor says
Looks delicious!!
Katie @ Horrific Knits says
I wish I could get my boyfriend to eat mushrooms, this looks great!
Thanks so much for linking up with Inspired Weekends! Please stop by Horrific Knits on Friday for the next round!
momstheword says
Girl! You had me at crockpot, lol! However, I will have to omit the mushrooms as I am allergic to them. I remember Chef Ramsey making such a big deal about the risotto and my son and I had never had it. So after that he made it just so we could see what it was, lol!
Thanks so much for linking up to "Making Your Home Sing Monday" today! 🙂
Esther Irish (@LaughWithUsBlog) says
This looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Maria says
What a great idea to make risotto in a slow cooker!!!!! I LOVE making different kinds of risottos, but they can be so time consuming to make, and this is such a great alternative! Thanks for sharing!
Lanaya @ Raising Reagan says
I LOVE risotto! This looks delicious!
Thank you for linking to Raising Imperfection.
Please come back Friday to see if you were featured. 🙂
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¸.•*´
(¸¤ Lanaya | xoxo
http://www.raising-reagan.com
Julie says
I love this recipe! And I love that it utilizes a slow cooker!
Stopping by from Mop It Up Mondays. Have a fabulous week! 🙂
Julie @ This Gal Cooks
Paula says
I just started making risotto last fall, haven't thought about making it in the slow-cooker!! Pinned! Thanks for linking up to Saturday Dishes! Have a great week! ~ Paula
Linda says
That's nice that you can make risotto but anything that difficult is not for me. Thanks for sharing it, though. God bless! Linda
Sheryl T says
Normally risotto is very tricky and needs to be babysat through the entire process but with slow cooking, it's pretty much set it and forget it! Don't be intimidated...give it a try.
Jeanmarie says
Cannot WAIT to try this one! Thanks for sharing!
Krista @ joyfulhealthyeats says
Wow! I never thought of making risotto in a slow cooker. Genius! Definitely going to give this a try to see how it turns out. Thanks for the great recipe and idea! 🙂 Found ya on Classy Clutter.
Bliss says
This looks absolutely wonderful, I love me some rice and I love me some shrooms!
Bliss
Sheryl T says
They're two of my favorites. This is so creamy and filling; you've got to try it!
Kristin says
This looks so good! I can't wait to try it! Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!