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+ servings
A large pan with green risotto topped with bacon pieces, mushrooms and parmesan cheese.
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5 from 13 votes

Creamy Green Risotto with Crispy Bacon and Mushrooms

Rich, comforting and creamy, who wouldn't love this green risotto with the roasted crispy mushrooms & bacon.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: mains
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4
Calories: 510kcal
Cost: £2.10

Ingredients

  • 155 g bacon lardons (£2.25)
  • 250 g chestnut mushrooms (£1.00)
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped (£0.15)
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced (£0.39)
  • 250 g arborio rice (£2.40/2)=(£1.20)
  • 75 g cavolo nero (£1.00)
  • 2 - 3 tbsp creme fraiche (£1.20)
  • 50 g parmesan (£1.85/2)=(£0.93)
  • ½ lemon, juice (£0.30)

Cupboard Essentials

  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  • 1.5 litres chicken stock (2 stock cubes used)
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 100 ml water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F

  • Start by adding the pancetta and chopped mushrooms onto a baking tray lined with foil. Drizzle ½ tbsp of olive oil onto the tray and with your spatula evenly distribute to oil. Pop in the oven, timer set to 20 minutes.
  • Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt to a large non-stick frying pan with a tbsp of olive oil. Gently fry for around 6 minutes, until translucent.
  • To that, add the minced garlic, dried basil and rice into the pan. Gently fry everything for 2 minutes before adding a ladle of stock into the pan, season with salt and pepper.
  • When the stock has absorbed, add another 2 ladles and repeat this step whilst stirring frequently. During this stage, blend the cavolo nero with a ladle or two of the stock.
  • After cooking the rice for around 5 minutes, add the blended cavolo nero. This will need some time to cook in the pan or it’ll be very bitter, so don’t add at the end! Continue to add a few ladles of stock at a time while cooking.
  • Once the rice has fully cooked, add the creme fraiche, juice of a lemon and half of the parmesan. If it starts to feel dry as the parmesan absorbs the moisture, add another ladle of water. Top/serve with the crispy pancetta, mushrooms and a sprinkle of additional parmesan.

Notes

Use arborio rice for its creamy texture and make sure you rinse it before cooking to remove excess starch.
To add the vibrant green, I chose cavolo nero, but you can use a mix of green vegetables like spinach, peas, or asparagus to add both colour and nutritional value.
Add the stock gradually, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid slowly. This helps achieve that creamy texture.

Nutrition

Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 22g