Perfect and straightforward dish for those who dislike “sweet” sweet potatoes. In this recipe, butternut squash can easily be used in place of it. produces 4 medium-sized helpings or 3 large helpings.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup olive oil, or more to taste, divided
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, divided
- ½ pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces on the bias
- ⅓ pound fresh morel mushrooms, halved
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons high-quality balsamic vinegar (Optional)
Instructions
- Place chicken stock in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until butter starts to bubble. Add asparagus and morel mushrooms; sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate with any accumulated juices.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in the same saucepan. Add shallot; cook and stir until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in arborio rice and cook until it starts to toast, about 1 minute. Pour in wine and cook until evaporated. Stir in thyme.
- Pour 1/4 cup simmering stock over rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until stock is absorbed. Repeat with remaining stock until rice is tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Stir in asparagus and mushrooms with their juices and continue cooking until flavors combine, about 3 minutes more.
- Remove rice from heat. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and parsley. Season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with balsamic vinegar and additional olive oil before serving.
- If using dried morel mushrooms, reserve the soaking liquid from rehydrating the morels and add to chicken stock. Reduce if needed; the ratio of arborio rice to stock should always be 1 to 3.5.
- High-quality balsamic vinegars (aged 18 years or more) have a rich and deep flavor that is nothing like the younger vinegars most often found on grocery store shelves. I recommend omitting the balsamic vinegar if you do not have access to a high-quality one.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 508 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 54 g |
| Cholesterol | 37 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Sodium | 748 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 28 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Halved everything with the intention of having 2 servings (one for tonight and one for tomorrow) but it was so delicious I ate it all on one sitting. Drizzled a little balsamic syrup as a garnish. Will definitely make again.
Loved it! Hubby, especially, as he got dried morels to “splurge”. I left out the cheese as to allow the delicate flavors to come through.
I substituted a wild rice blend, but it turned out fantastic!
Tried this with fresh burn-site morels; used more than called for. Added minced garlic when adding the mushroom – asparagus mix back into the risotto. Superb! Used a Tom Gore Vineyards (California) Chardonnay for cooking and at the table; perfect pairing. Spring globe artichokes with a lemon mayonnaise on the side as well as a simple salad made this a lovely spring supper. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Quite delicious!
Always a quick and easy meal. My friend says it’s better than restaurant quality. And cheaper
UNBELIEVABLY good. I think the high-quality balsamic vinegar is essential. It really adds to the overall flavors.
I followed this recipe last night, OMG… it was delicious!! definately recommending it!
Fairly easy, I’m not much of a cook and I was able to pull it off. Served with baked chicken breast the two complimented each other nicely. Will definitely make again.
Loved it! Fresh morels & asparagus; perfect risotto!
Delish. Added crabmeat, red pepper. Used less than half the oil and butter.
Made it exactly as directed and it is the best Morel mushroom recipe I’ve ever tried! Thank you!
This a wonderful recipe. The two flavors work great together. Used less butter than suggested. If you have ever made risotto before you know it will take more time to get your rice perfect. It’s worth the extra time so don’t try and speed it up. Add the broth slowly and continue to stir constantly. Used a lovely balsamic reduction over the top. Will certainly make again.
Wonderfully delicious! Fresh morels are harder to come by in this part of Florida so I used a mix of rehydrated morels and white mushrooms (shiitakes would have been better than white I think – next time). I agree with another viewer that the cooking time for the risotto was closer to 30-40 minutes.
Super easy!! I added a little lemon zest & garlic. The result was amazing!! This will be a go to favorite in our house!!
Absolutely spectacular! I received some Morel mushrooms as a gift and pulled up this recipe by chance. I had never made risotto before – just had the impression it wasn’t worth the time – wrong! My only complaint is that I probably won’t repete the recipe often because can’t afford the Morels, but I’m going to give it a try with some other varieties and see how it works.
Delicious risotto! I made two adjustments – I used baby bella mushrooms in place of the morels, and dried thyme for the fresh (fresh would have been better, but my herb garden didn’t make it through the winter). Cooking time for me was closer to 35-40 minutes to get the arborio rice to our desired firmness. I find this is the standard time for me whenever I make risotto. The flavors complimented each other nicely in this, and I will be making this again, for sure.
I found the recipe spot on for the making of the risotto, mushrooms and asparagus. However, I used less butter than the recipe called for and would recommend making it with little or no butter the next time. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe.
Yummy! Didn’t have Morels so just used thickly cut crimini mushrooms instead. Added black truffle oil and some red pepper flakes at the finish. Plates were licked clean!
My husband and I loved it! Really delicious. Unfortunately I did not have fresh Thyme or parsley so just used small amounts of dried. Added just a touch of the balsamic vinegar on my plate and loved the additional flavor…but it was delicious even without the vinegar.
This was very good! Please note: I did not use Morel Mushrooms, I used Baby Bellas. I also added a clove of garlic when I added the rice.