One-pot mushroom and pea risotto
Creamy one-pot mushroom and pea risotto — minimal washing up, big flavour. Stirred to silky perfection in 25 minutes.
You want the creaminess of a restaurant risotto without washing up half the kitchen — this one‑pot version gives you glossy grains, meaty mushrooms and pops of sweet peas all in one pan. It’s the sort of midweek dish that feels like a treat but is entirely doable.
Use a good-quality arborio rice and keep the stock hot — those two little details are what make the texture sing. Serve straight from the pan for the best silky finish.
Ingredients
- 25 ml olive oil
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 1 brown onion — finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves — crushed
- 300 g chestnut mushrooms — sliced
- 320 g arborio rice
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 1 l vegetable stock — keep hot on the hob
- 150 g frozen peas — no need to thaw
- 80 g grated vegetarian hard cheese
- 15 g flatleaf parsley — chopped
- 1 lemon — zest only
- sea salt — to taste
- freshly ground black pepper — to taste
Equipment
- large heavy-based saucepan with lid
- ladle
- wooden spoon
- microplane or fine grater for lemon zest
Instructions
Prepare the veg: finely chop the brown onion, crush the garlic cloves, slice the chestnut mushrooms, finely chop the flatleaf parsley and zest the lemon. Keep everything to hand.
Warm the vegetable stock in a small pan or kettle and keep it hot beside the risotto pan — you will add it hot in ladlefuls.
Heat the olive oil and half the unsalted butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the brown onion and a pinch of sea salt and gently fry until translucent, about 4 minutes.
Add the chestnut mushrooms and the garlic cloves and increase the heat slightly. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden and most of their liquid has evaporated, about 6 minutes.
Add the arborio rice and stir for 1 minute, coating every grain in the fat — this toasts the rice and helps it hold texture.
Pour in the dry white wine and stir for about 1 minute until it has mostly evaporated.
Add a ladleful of the hot vegetable stock (about 150 ml) and stir until the rice has absorbed most of it. Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring frequently and allowing the rice to absorb the liquid between additions. Cook for about 12 minutes in total — the rice should be tender with a slight bite (al dente) and the texture should be loose and creamy.
When the rice is just cooked, stir in the frozen peas, the remaining unsalted butter and the grated vegetarian hard cheese. Add the lemon zest and most of the chopped flatleaf parsley and stir for 1 minute until the cheese has melted and the peas are heated through.
Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, scatter over the remaining parsley and serve immediately.
Tips
- Keep the vegetable stock hot; adding cold stock shocks the rice and lengthens cooking time.
- Toast the rice briefly but don't let it brown — you want glossy translucent edges, not a toasty flavour.
- Stir frequently during the stock additions to coax starch from the rice — this is what creates risotto’s signature creaminess.
- If the risotto firms up while resting, loosen it with a splash of hot stock or a knob of butter just before serving.
- Make ahead: cook to one minute before done, cool quickly, refrigerate, then finish with hot stock and cheese when reheating.
Substitutions
arborio rice → Carnaroli rice, same quantity
Stays closedry white wine → additional hot vegetable stock, same quantity
Stays closefrozen peas → fresh peas, 150 g (blanched briefly)
Stays closegrated vegetarian hard cheese → mature cheddar, 80 g
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 563
- Calories
- 15 g
- Protein
- 74 g
- Carbs
- 23 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this risotto without wine?
Yes — replace the wine with an equal amount of hot vegetable stock. The acid from wine brightens the dish but the flavour will still be excellent.
How do I know when the risotto is done?
Rice should be tender with a slight bite in the centre (al dente) and the overall texture should be loose and creamy. Taste a grain around 10–12 minutes into the stock additions to judge.
Can I use tinned mushrooms or dried mushrooms?
Tinned mushrooms are softer and will change the texture; dried porcini (reconstituted in warm water) add great depth — if using dried, soak them in a little hot stock and reserve the soaking liquid for flavour.
Why did my risotto turn gluey?
Over-stirring or using the wrong rice can make risotto gluey. Stir frequently but not continuously, and use arborio or carnaroli rather than long-grain rice.
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