Healthy dinners

Creamy Low-Fat Mushroom Risotto Recipe

Originally from Northern Italy, risotto is a hearty and delicious dish in which rice is the star. Flavored and cooked with broth—beef, chicken, fish, or vegetable—risotto is sometimes finished with a generous pat of butter and a handful of Parmesan cheese, which makes it creamy and silky. However, butter, although delicious, isn't always necessary to make a succulent risotto.

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups reduced sodium fat-free chicken broth, or vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs, or Italian seasoning
  • 6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine, room temperature
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Step by step

  1. Gather the ingredients.
  2. Pour broth into a 2-quart saucepan and heat over medium heat until simmering, but not boiling. Cover to keep warm and leave on a very low simmer.
  3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until softened and fragrant, about 3 to 5 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't brown.
  4. Add the rice and sauté for 1 minute, stirring to prevent sticking.
  5. Sprinkle in the dried herbs and add the mushrooms. Sauté the rice-and-mushroom mixture until the mushrooms release their juices, 5 to 8 minutes.
  6. Add the white wine and stir.
  7. Once the wine has been mostly absorbed, carefully add 2 cups of the hot broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring and waiting until each cup of broth has been completely absorbed before adding the next. Continuously stir during the process to avoid having the rice stick to the bottom or sides of the skillet.
  8. Add the spinach before adding the remaining 1 1/2 cups of broth. Stir to combine.
  9. Add the remaining broth and keep stirring until all is absorbed.
  10. Once all the liquid is absorbed, sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

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