Everyday dinners
A gluten-free risotto
A creamy mushroom and pea risotto with Parmesan, made with gluten-free stock and no wine.
Free guide: thirty gluten-free dinners, with the shopping lists
This mushroom and pea risotto gets its creamy texture from the rice, with butter and Parmesan stirred in at the end. There is no wine to open and no cream to add.
Plain risotto rice is naturally gluten-free, but stock needs checking. Add the liquid gradually and use the texture of the grains to judge when dinner is ready.
The recipe
A gluten-free risotto
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total*
- 55 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
*Estimated development timings. The 2-minute covered rest is included in the estimated 40 minutes cooking time and 55 minutes total; no extra standing time is needed. Rice cooking time varies by brand.
Ingredients
Tick things off as you go.
For the risotto
To finish
Equipment
- Use a wide, heavy-based sauté pan with a lid and a capacity of at least 3 litres.
- Use a saucepan to keep the stock hot.
- Have a measuring jug, ladle and wooden spoon ready.
- Use a chopping board, sharp knife and cheese grater.
Let’s make it.
- 01
Warm the stock
Heat the stock in the saucepan until steaming, then keep it just below a simmer while you cook.
- 02
Soften the vegetables
Heat the oil in the sauté pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion for 6 minutes until softened. Add the mushrooms; cook for 8 minutes until their liquid has mostly evaporated. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 03
Add the rice
Stir in the unwashed rice for 1 minute until the grains look glossy. Add about 200 ml hot stock and bring to a gentle bubble.
- 04
Simmer gently
Cook for about 20–25 minutes, stirring regularly and adding stock a ladleful at a time as each addition is absorbed. Keep the rice moist. Add the peas for the final 5 minutes, or longer if their packet requires. Finish when the peas are hot throughout and the rice is tender with a slight bite, without a chalky centre. Use hot water if the stock runs out before the rice softens.
- 05
Finish and serve
Off the heat, stir in the butter and 40 g Parmesan until melted. Cover for 2 minutes. Loosen with remaining hot stock or water until it spreads gently on a plate. Taste, add salt and pepper as needed, and serve topped with the remaining Parmesan.
Ingredient checks
Use plain risotto rice and vegetable stock labelled gluten-free; do not substitute barley, spelt or an unchecked risotto mix. Check packaged ingredients and substitutions for gluten-free suitability and all 14 UK regulated allergens: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya and sulphites. For someone with coeliac disease, use clean equipment and surfaces and avoid shared butter or other ingredients contaminated with breadcrumbs.
Allergens: Contains milk in the butter and Parmesan.; Vegetable stock may contain celery, mustard, soya or other allergens; check the product used.; No other UK regulated allergens are deliberately added, but check every packaged ingredient and any substitutions..
Make it work for you
Replace the chestnut mushrooms with the same weight of white button mushrooms.
Use the same weight of carnaroli rice instead of arborio, adjusting the cooking time and liquid to reach the same tender texture.
For a vegetarian version, replace Parmesan with 60 g vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese that is suitable for a gluten-free diet; check whether it also contains egg.
For a version without milk ingredients, use 20 ml olive oil instead of the butter and 40–60 g gluten-free dairy-free grated cheese instead of Parmesan, checking for soya and other allergens.
For another day
Risotto is best served freshly cooked because it thickens as it stands.
Divide leftovers into shallow containers and cool quickly, ideally within 1 hour, then refrigerate; do not leave the rice in the cooking pan to cool.
Use refrigerated risotto within 24 hours.
To freeze, cool small portions quickly and get them into the freezer within 1 hour of cooking; defrost in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat only once, stirring with a little water until steaming hot throughout, then eat immediately.
Exploding food
What goes in.
The ingredients, seen a little differently. This image is an illustration of the main ingredients; use the written recipe for the full list and quantities.
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