Easy Bacon Risotto Recipe

Bacon Risotto is a deliciously indulgent rice and cheese dish packed with bacon, mushrooms and leek. Quick and easy to make, this creamy risotto recipe uses simple ingredients, taking minimal effort to create so much flavor!! With my tips and tricks you will become the bacon and mushroom risotto master chef. Don't be suprised if you get asked to make it over and over again! It is what I like to call 'Winner Winner Bacon Me Dinner' 😉🤣.

Recipes like the Chicken and Chorizo Paella and the Mushroom and Spinach Risotto are all about rice.

The Honey Sriracha Meatballs and Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs pair very well with rice for easy dinner ideas!

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:

• Combination of flavors: the white wine, parmesan cheese and savory bacon are the main trio of ingredients that shine in this recipe. It is a winning combination.
• Grocery store ingredients: everything you need to make this bacon risotto recipe will be readily available at your local grocery store. They are year round ingredients and easy to get your hands on.
• Budget friendly: there is nothing in the recipe that is overly expensive. Choose a cheap wine and then the bacon and cheese will be the next most costly ingredients. For each of those there will be brands with different price ranges so you can stick to your budget.
• Meal prep: you can make a batch of this easy risotto on the weekends and then freeze portions of it for night's when you know you will have had a busy day with little time to cook. (You will thank your organised self for this on those nights 😉🤣 .
• Family friendly: I know very few people who don't like bacon. They are mainly vegetarian friends. Everyone loves cheese and there is not so much wine involved that you have to worry about the kids getting on it. Did I already mention that they will ask you to make it again and again! 😉👍.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Olive oil: we use a little of this to cook the mushrooms, leek and garlic.
• Salt and pepper: we use a little salt and black pepper for seasoning in the recipe.
• Parmesan cheese: finely grated with a microplane zester if you can. Freshly grated is a better option to store bought pre grated parmesan cheese.
• Garlic: chunky chopped garlic, minced garlic or you can use fresh garlic cloves.
• Butter: this gets added in with the oil and helps to cook the mushrooms and leeks.
• White wine: use a dry white wine, such as a pinot gris or pinot grigio.
• Leek: a fantastic ingredient to use from the onion family. We simply cut the roots off and then chop the leek into thin slices like you see in the bowl in the photo above.
• Bacon: short cut, rindless bacon chopped into pieces is what you want. It has enough thickness to bring a chewy texture to the risotto.
• Mushrooms: cute little button mushrooms are what you are looking for. To add a variety of textures to the dish we keep some whole, we slice some in half and we slice some multiple times.
• Arborio rice: the best rice to use for risotto as it absorbs all of that liquid but keeps a little chewy bite to it for amazing texture in the dish.
• Chicken stock: we use a fair amount of this (1 litre or 4 cups). It gets absorbed throughout the cooking process. For although the risotto has a wet texture, there is no loose liquid in it.

Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making my recipes. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by cooking the bacon.

• Cook the bacon (Photo 1)
• Boil the stock (Photo 2)
• Add oil, butter, garlic, mushrooms and leek to pan (Photo 3)
• Add arborio rice (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Bacon Risotto

Start by placing a saute pan or large skillet on the stove. No oil is required to start with as the bacon fat helps to create crispy bacon

Next cook bacon for 3-4 minutes till it has golden brown crispy edges. Use a wooden spoon to stir and move it around in the pan during this time. Once the bacon is cooked use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate.

At the same time as cooking the bacon, you can begin to prepare the stock. To do this place a medium sauce pan on the stove, turn the heat to high add the stock. Allow this to come to the boil.

Then without rinsing or cleaning the pan you used to cook the bacon add the olive oil, butter, garlic, mushrooms, leek, salt and pepper. Allow this combination to cook for 2 - 3 minutes. The leeks will soften and white bits turn a translucent colour and the mushrooms will lose their bright whiteness.

Next add the rice to the oil and leek mixture and allow it to become covered in the wet mixture. As the risotto cooks, you will find that it develops to have a creamy consistency with chewy al dente rice. (Otherwise known as risotto perfection 👌).

• Add the rice to the pan (Photo 5)
• Ladle in hot stock and allow it to absorb (Photo 6)
• Add the cooked bacon (Photo 7)
• Then add the parmesan cheese (Photo 8)

Next pour in the white wine and give it a stir. Then take a large spoon and scoop out some of the warm broth.

You want to add this to the risotto 1 spoonful at a time. Due to the high starch content of the rice and liquids combining, the consistency will become creamy and paste like. After adding each spoonful, give it a stir and let it absorb. Then continue to add more heated stock until it is all in the pan.

Once the liquids have fully been absorbed by the rice you can add the cooked bacon back to the pan. Stir to gently fold this through the risotto and then sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top.

Keep gently stirring as this melts until it too is mixed in with the risotto.

• Garnish the dish (Photo 9)

Once the cheese has mixed in and it comes time to garnish the dish, you want to use a trio of black pepper, parmesan cheese and finely chopped parsley.

These add a little more texture and colour to the dish and are a great way to finish it off.

Then grab some bowls, forks and spoons and get ready to serve the risotto. It is commonly done by placing it in to the centre of the table, so grab a heat proof mat, pop it on there, breathe a sigh of doneness and get ready for the compliments to run on in 🤣👏.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

For a white wine pairing try a chilled glass of the pinot gris that you used in the risotto. It is not too sweet and goes down a treat with the dish.

Depending on your mood you might only want a to serve this parmesan risotto as a main dish with a big bowl, a fork and spoon on your lap. Or you might want the risotto to be the side dish.

So options my friend are what I give you 👌.

Bread sides are the Garlic Pizza Bread, Cheesy Ciabatta Garlic Bread or Turkish Garlic Bread.

Salad sides are the Fresh Herb Salad, Cherry Tomato Mozzarella Salad or the Italian Bread Salad.

If you want ribs with risotto on the side try the BBQ Lamb Ribs, Baked Pork Ribs or the Sticky Pork Ribs.

For pizza and risotto or to feed a crowd try the Ciabatta Bread Pizza or Bruschetta Pizza Recipe.

Pasta options are the Spaghetti with Alfredo, Pesto Rigatoni or Alfredo Penne Pasta.

Otherwise, get your garnish on, grab your bowl of steaming hot risotto, put your feet up and enjoy that glass of wine! 😘

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store leftover risotto in a sealed airtight container in the fridge.

Leftovers can be kept for 3 days and need to be reheated before being consumed.

How to Reheat

Reheat the risotto in the microwave by placing it in a bowl with a layer of cling film over the top.

Heat on high for 2 - 3 minutes, then test to see that it is heated all the way through to the centre or heat for a little longer.

How to Freeze

Allow leftovers of the dish to fully cool.

Then portion into air tight containers.

Frozen portions of the risotto can be kept in the freezer for 3 months.

They are best then fully thawed before being reheated.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• You can use 1 yellow onion peeled and diced in place of the leek if you wish to.
• If you want to use streaky bacon you can, to the equivalent amount.
• For cheese substitutes, you can use pecorino romano cheese in place of the parmesan cheese to the equivalent amount. We also use a little for garnishing the dish for serving.
• You can use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock if you wish too.
• If you want to omit the white wine, you can simply add that amount of liquid (ie 1 cup) in additional stock.
• For additional protein you can add some cooked leftover chicken.
• For extra veggies you can add some green peas.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• You don't need to use oil to cook the bacon. The fat from it will render out and be enough to allow it to cook and brown on the edges.
• Don't worry about using an expensive wine. The wine I usually use to make this recipe only sets me back a whopping $8! 😉
• Sprinkle some lemon zest over the top of the risotto for a citrus zing if that is your thing!
• It might be tricky to see in the photos as both of my pans are white. However, the point I want to make here is that the stock gets added to a seperate pot and boiled on another element on the stove to the risotto.
• We do want to get the liquid to rice quantity right. So if you are omitting the wine as I suggest as an option above, you need to add that liquid volume in as something else ie more stock. Not simply omit it.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

Do you cook risotto with lid on or off?

Risotto is best cooked with the lid off. It requires the frequent adding of boiling stock as well as stirring and this is best done with an open pan.

What makes risotto creamy?

The starch coming off the arborio rice is what makes the risotto so creamy. In the same way that some recipes call for reserving pasta water to help bind the pasta and sauce, the liquids in the pan with the risotto help create a creamy starchy consistency.

Can I use cheddar cheese instead of Parmesan in risotto?

The best cheese to use when making risotto is parmesan cheese. Second to that a great alternative is pecorino romano cheese. Cheddar cheese is not commonly used to make risotto, however, it does work if you want to use that in place either the parmesan or romano.

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

We all need more than 1 good dinner recipe up our sleeve to have our nights sorted. Here, I like to offer you an array of choices that will tick different taste, texture and protein boxes:

• Slow Cooker Pulled Lamb
• Polenta Al Forno (Spinach Polenta Bake)
• Greek Lamb Shanks
• Panko Fried Pork Chops
• Honey And Mustard Sausages
• Fettuccine Alla Bolognese
• Dutch Oven BBQ Pulled Pork
• Crumbed Lamb Cutlets
• Pork Osso Bucco
• Greek Lamb Chops

It is time to get our bacon on my friend. You can also find all of my dinner recipes in the one spot!

Adrianne

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