easy oven baked mushroom & thyme risotto
(this recipe might change your life)
Happy March! (or, as my husband and I like to say first thing in the morning on the first day of a new month for good luck… Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!)
We’ve made it through the cold, wet, muddy month of February, and we’ve now entered the cold, wet, muddy month of March. Huzzah!
It’s been a busy and sore-muscle inducing kind of week around here – on Tuesday we prepped over 600 feet of bed space so we can be ready for the thousands (!) of baby seedlings that are arriving to the farm on Monday. The first week of March typically marks our first big outdoor planting of the season – this year we’re planting broccoli, cabbage, kale, fennel, asian greens, herbs, onions, beets, and tons of lettuces for our lovely and loyal Spring CSA members. And I’m happy to report that all the crops that we direct seeded in our tunnels over the last two weeks (baby kale, turnips, arugula, and radishes) have germinated and are looking fab (so far).
(Side note – without fail, every year in mid-February right after I direct seed our first round of spring crops, I’m entirely convinced that something bad will happen and none of the seeds will germinate and everything will be a total failure ((I know, I’m a super fun time)). So as soon as I see those first seeds start to germinate, it’s like a giant boulder gets lifted off my chest and I’m reminded that I do, in fact, know a few things about farming. Seeing those first itty bitty green leaves pop out of the soil gives me confidence that this little farm will once again grow lots of food to feed lots of people, and the whole process just feels like magic. Heck, it IS magic.)
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Need some culinary inspiration for the weekend? Here’s my weekly round up of seasonal recipes from around Substack (and from my ever-growing recipe index) to help you eat like a farmer:
White Bean Chicken Chili from your’s truly (I’m making this tonight!)
Creamy Cauliflower Galette from
/Buckwheat & Coconut Granola from
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PS – keep reading for this week’s absolute game-changer of a recipe for baked mushroom & thyme risotto!
If you, like me, love a good pot of risotto, but you don’t have the time/patience to stand over your stove for 30+ minutes stirring constantly, then you are going to LOVE this recipe for baked mushroom & thyme risotto. Dare I say, it might just change your life?
I was inspired by this recipe from Ina Garten (all hail queen Ina!), which is a revolutionary baked risotto, where you throw Aborio rice + simmered stock into a dutch oven and bake it for 45 minutes, and then to finish it off, you just vigorously stir in a bit more stock, Parmesan cheese, some dry white wine, butter + salt and voila! You’ve got risotto. (I will say, this short-cut risotto is going to have a slightly different texture than risotto made the authentic, low and slow way… but TRUST ME, the flavors are all there, and it’s a total no-brainer if you want to enjoy fancy schmancy risotto on a busy week night).
Not that Ina’s version isn’t already perfect, but I wanted to jazz it up by adding some luscious browned mushrooms + fragrant thyme sautéed in butter before sticking the pot in the oven. This recipe calls for 1 to 1.5 lbs mushrooms, and you can use whatever kind of mushrooms you’d like… you do you! (I personally like a mix of cremini and oyster mushrooms).
Not into mushrooms? No biggie. Here are a few other winter veggies you can incorporate into this baked risotto situation instead:
Winter squash – peel and dice a 2lb winter squash (such as butternut) and roast in a 400F oven for about 30 minutes, or until super tender, then stir the roasted squash into the risotto when it comes out of the oven.
Kale / winter greens – chop up any winter greens you’ve got (you’ll want 3-4 cups chopped greens), then stir them into the risotto when it comes out of the oven.
Leeks – follow the recipe as written, and just swap the mushrooms for leeks. You’ll want to chop the white/light green parts of 3 leeks, then saute them in butter (in place of the mushrooms) until super tender and beginning to brown. Continue recipe as written.
Keep scrolling for the full recipe (and a handy 1-page PDF for easy printing).
PS – It’s the first Friday of the month, which means EVERYONE gets access to my weekly recipe. If you enjoy this recipe and want to receive a new hyper-seasonal recipe every week, consider becoming a paid subscriber! Paid subscribers also get access to my (ever-growing) full recipe archive, handy gardening guides, bonus content and you’ll get to join our private community chats.
Easy Oven Baked Mushroom & Thyme Risotto
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
5 cups low-sodium chicken or veggie stock, divided
1 - 1 ½ lbs mixed mushrooms, cleaned and thinly chopped (use whatever varieties of mushrooms you’d like!)
5 tablespoons butter, divided (unsalted or salted butter are both fine)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 shallot or small onion, finely diced
2 teaspoons dried or chopped fresh thyme
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Handful chopped fresh parsley (optional garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Pour 5 cups chicken or veggie stock into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer – then turn off the heat and cover the saucepan with a lid (otherwise a lot of your stock will evaporate).
To prepare the 1 - 1 ½ lb mushrooms, give them a good rinse with cold water, then use a sharp knife to chop off any woody stems and thinly slice the mushrooms about ¼” thick.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-5 quart dutch oven (or similar large pot with a lid). When the melted butter is hot and bubbling, add the sliced mushrooms along with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Stir occasionally until the mushrooms are very tender and beginning to brown, about 10-12 minutes total. It will seem like a lot of mushrooms at the beginning! But fairly quickly, the salt will draw moisture out of the mushrooms, and there will be quite a bit of liquid in the pan. Keep stirring until all the liquid evaporates, and then allow the mushrooms to brown a bit more.
Add 1 finely diced shallot or small yellow onion and 2 teaspoons thyme to the mushrooms, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the shallot (or onion) is beginning to turn translucent.
Stir 1 ½ cups Arborio rice into the pot, coating the grains in the mushrooms and onions, and toast for 1 minute. Stir in 4 cups of the warmed stock, then cover the dutch oven with a lid and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Reserve the remaining 1 cup stock in the saucepan and keep it warm.
After 45 minutes, remove risotto from the oven and add between ½ cup to 1 cup warmed stock (use as little or as much stock as needed for the rice to be nice and creamy). Also stir in 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, ½ cup dry white wine, 3 tablespoons butter, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Stir actively for 1-2 minutes, until the rice is thick and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
This risotto is best served hot, topped with an extra dusting of Parmesan cheese and some chopped fresh parsley.
That’s all for this week! If you enjoyed, it would mean the world if you tapped that “heart” button below, share this with a friend, subscribe, or leave a comment. Thank you so much, I’m thrilled you’re here. :)