Make Risotto Without a Recipe (Really)

By Genevieve Ko

Once you master the basic recipe, you’ll want to turn pretty much anything into this one-pot Italian dinner.

Making risotto is living the dream. You know the one—you’re stirring a pot like an Italian grandma, lifting a wooden spoon to your lips now and then, carrying steaming bowls of pasta to a table full of friends…and then you wake up and realize you don’t have time for anything remotely like that.

Except you do have time—if you’re making risotto. Even though its creamy lusciousness tastes like the product of an all-day cooking session, all you actually need for risotto is 20 minutes of gentle simmering and the occasional stir.

Even better, that pot of creamy rice is super-customizable. Kids (and some adults) will be perfectly content with nothing more than Parmesan cheese stirred in; shrimp and asparagus is great, too. Or make your meal extra hearty with sausage, broccoli rabe, and a healthy dollop of mascarpone cheese.

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Fold in your favorite roasted veg (we love it with roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts, or mushrooms and beets). Or use it as a pedestal for freshly seared scallops or lump crabmeat. Other add-ins can come from leftovers or can be quickly cooked before the rice stirring starts. (If you’re a particularly talented multitasking cook, you can prepare the additions while stirring the rice. But be warned: It may be stressful.)

The hardest part about risotto is making sure everyone’s ready to eat when it’s done—its signature silky texture turns gummy as it cools. Of course, finding people to eat a bowl of risotto is rarely a problem. A few tips for perfect bowls:

USE A HEAVY POT

Heavy pots—especially enameled Dutch ovens—hold heat well. (And sometimes a little too well—if your liquid goes from steady boil to crazy bubbling, turn the heat down.)

STAY PUT WHILE YOU COOK

Have all of your ingredients and add-ins within arm’s reach before you start cooking. You don’t need to stir continuously, but frequently enough that you can’t walk away.

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DON’T BE SHY WITH THE LIQUID

Rice soaks up liquid like a sponge, so make sure you use enough to make a luscious risotto. If your risotto looks a little stiff, just stir in a bit more heated broth and give it a good stir.

SKIP THE COLD MIX-INS

Make sure whatever you’re throwing in at the end is hot, warm, or at least room temperature. That way, you won’t have to overcook the risotto to warm up the additional ingredients you’ve added.

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RECIPE PHOTOS BY CHELSEA KYLE, FOOD STYLING BY DIANA YEN, INFOGRAPHIC BY JUNE KIM