Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
Affiliate Disclosure: Occasionally we may provide links to products that are affiliate links to products and providers that we personally use and recommend. If you choose to click on a link and purchase a product, we wanted to let you know that we’ll get a commission from the sale. Thanks for supporting this blog! :)
In 35 minutes or less, you can have this perfectly creamy, rich and earthy instant pot mushroom risotto on the dinner table. With two different types of mushrooms, and an unexpected varietal of wine, this instant pot mushroom risotto recipe rivals any mushroom risotto found in most restaurants. Pair it with a medium-bodied earthy, red wine such as Wrath’s 2016 Pinot Noir Boekenoogen or subtly oaked Chardonnay.
Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
Last week, I took an unexpected hiatus and didn’t share a single recipe. I kind of stressed myself out over it, but realized I needed to take a few days to focus on myself and relax for a couple of days. I am happy to say that the couple of days spent not staring at my phone or computer screen was the right decision. While I had planned to share a couple of Cinco de Mayo recipes, I decided it would be better to share some recipes that would have more of a lifespan than one weekend a year. So far, the week “off” has paid off. I’ve churned out a handful of recipes that I am really excited about and had the opportunity to fine tune some recipes that I have been playing with the past couple of months that are just about perfect. The week off, however, didn’t help me make up my mind whether or not I should continue April’s trend of making “meatless Monday” a thing here on the blog, what do you think?
It’s hard to believe, but today’s recipe is the very first Instant Pot recipe that I’ve ever shared with you guys. After protesting and refusing to jump onto the IP bandwagon, my father bought me an Instant Pot for Christmas… as if I needed another kitchen gadget. I know most people instantly fall in love with their Instant Pot, but it has yet to completely win me over.
As an adult, risotto has always been on my “only make for special occasions” list because, well, it’s labor intensive and requires lots and lots of elbow grease. Ain’t nobody got time for that much stirring on your average Monday evening. This is most certainly one instance where the Instant Pot is a life saver. (And time saver.) I can almost see what the fuss is all about when it comes to using a pressure cooker on the daily.
Wine is basically a must-have when it comes to making risotto. Normally, I would use a dry, slightly oaked white wine but this time I experimented with vermentino just because I had a few extra bottles of a super minerally locally grown and produced vermentino that was nearing the end of it’s lifespan. At first, I wasn’t so sure that I made the right call, but once I added dry porcini mushrooms to the recipe any concerns I had flew right out the window. I know sometimes when I use somewhat unknown wine varietals in recipes I get emails from people complaining that they don’t have a bottle of that lying around and I should use common wines, but it’s time to put our big girl pants on and put down the Chardonnay and branch out and try something new!
Normally when I cook with wine, I also plan on drinking the wine with whatever I’ve just cooked. Not today, my friend. Might seem a bit redundant to open one bottle to cook with, and another bottle to drink but be patient with me as I explain my thought process. While the vermentino had just enough minerality to boost the earthiness of the mushrooms when they were initially sautéed, once the stock was added the risotto becomes too rich and overwhelming for such a light bodied. So, in my less than expert opinion, open a bottle of Pinot Noir (not a light and fruity one, however), Grenache, or an inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon that needs to be dressed up, and save the rest of the vermentino for a hot afternoon out on the porch. For dinner, I paired this with one of my go-to Pinot Noir’s from the Santa Lucia Highlands, Wrath Boekenoogen Vineyard Pinot Noir, which really showcases what SLH Pinot Noir can be.
While I made this recipe with the intention of being vegetarian (for meatless Monday), I found that if you aren’t opposed to using chicken broth, the finished mushroom risotto will have an even richer, more decedent flavor, which is a win in my book. Vegetable broth is just fine, and still makes for a delicious mushroom risotto that makes an ideal meatless main dish or a complimentary side dish to roasted garlic chicken.