Bacon mushroom risotto is such a comforting dish that is packed full of flavors. It is rich, creamy and addictively delicious, yet easy to make in one pan!
This version of risotto is cooked with an Asian twist using Japanese rice, and tamari soy sauce as a part of the seasoning. It is rich and creamy just like the original Italian style risotto, but feels lighter without cheese.
The combo of shiitake mushrooms and bacon adds a robust umami flavor, making this dish irresistibly delicious. It is perfect on its own, or goes well with any kind of dish.
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Ingredients for this recipe
- Vegetable broth
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Small onion - finely chopped
- Bacon - chopped
- Shiitake mushrooms - stems removed and sliced
- Japanese rice - or other short grain rice, unwashed
- Dry white wine
- Vegan butter
- Tamari soy sauce
Optional toppings:
- Thinly sliced scallions
- Roasted white sesame
- Ground pepper
How to make mushroom bacon risotto
1. Warm up the broth. Heat up the vegetable broth in a saucepan.
2. Cook the onion and garlic. Heat up the olive oil in a large pan. Cook the onion and garlic together until lightly browned.
3. Add in the bacon and mushrooms. Sauté until soft, for about 3 minutes.
4. Sauté the rice. Add in the rice and cook for 1 minute to coat the grains with oil.
5. Deglaze. Pour in the wine and scrape off any burned bits at the bottom.
6. Cook the rice. Add one cup of heated broth to the rice and stir frequently but not constantly. Once the liquid is absorbed, add one more cup of broth. Keep adding broth one cup at a time until the rice is al dente soft but not mushy.
7. Season. Mix in the vegan butter and tamari soy sauce.
8. Serve. Garnish with scallions, white sesame, and ground black pepper (optional).
Tips for making bacon mushroom risotto
*Do not wash the rice. Wet rice releases starch into the broth, creating a sticky texture. You want to make sure that the rice is well coated with oil before starting to add the broth.
*Make sure the broth is HOT. Adding cold or room temperature broth will bring down the rice’s temperature while cooking, bringing out a mushy, sticky texture.
*Do not stir too much. Stirring too much causes the starch to leak out into the broth, resulting in a sticky heavy texture. Whenever you stir, stir very gently from the bottom to prevent burning.
*Do not overcook. To make the perfect risotto, stop cooking when the rice is al dente (with a slight texture in the middle) versus fully cooked. The rice continues to cook and absorb the liquid after you turn off the heat.
FAQs
While my go to is Japanese rice, you may use Arborio rice which is traditionally used in Italian recipes. You can also try other short grain rice as they are capable of absorbing a large amount of liquid. Brown rice works as well but note that it takes longer to cook, and comes out with more texture.
Bacon mushroom risotto is best enjoyed immediately, as the texture continues to change as it cools. However, for leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, covered tightly. Microwave to heat up, or cook on the stovetop with a bit of broth to loosen.
More rice recipes...
- Tuna Kimchi Fried Rice (Under 15 Minutes)
- Tuna Mayo Avocado Rice Bowl (Donburi)
- Yaki Onigiri with Miso Scallion (Grilled Rice Balls)
Recipe
Bacon Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- 5 cups vegetable broth or increase up to 6 cups
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 6 strips bacon chopped
- 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms stems removed and sliced
- 1½ cup Japanese rice or other short grain rice, unwashed
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce or more
Optional toppings:
- Thinly sliced scallions
- Roasted white sesame
- Ground pepper
Instructions
- Thinly sliced scallions, toasted white sesame, ground pepper
- Heat up the vegetable broth in a saucepan.
- Heat up the olive oil in a large pan. Cook the onion and garlic together until lightly browned.
- Add in the bacon and mushrooms. Sauté until soft, for about 3 minutes.
- Add in the rice and cook for 1 minute to coat the grains with oil.
- Pour in the wine and scrape off any burned bits at the bottom (deglaze).
- Add one cup of heated broth to the rice and stir frequently but not constantly. Once the liquid is absorbed, add one more cup of broth. Keep adding broth one cup at a time until the rice is al dente soft (slightly firm) but not mushy. This will take about 20-25 minutes.
- Mix in the vegan butter and tamari soy sauce.
- Optional: garnish with scallions, white sesame and ground black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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