This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
This week’s recipe is a herby mushroom orzo risotto with burrata. I made this for my friend for a girls night in, and it was the perfect meal. She is vegetarian, so instead of making something that centers around a protein like I normally do, I knew I wanted to find a way to use mushrooms and burrata for a comforting but classy dinner.
Table of Contents
- Chef Tips
- Ingredients
- Prep
- Cooking
- Storage and Reheating
- Looking for more similar recipes?
- The Recipe
Chef Tips:
For Ingredients:
- You can use any mushrooms that you love or have on hand. I use 2 different mushrooms to bring some texture difference in this dish, and usually always default to brown button mushrooms (they’re meaty and economical!), and then another one I feel in the mood to use. A good baseline for a vegetarian meal is to use 4 ounces of mushrooms per portion.
- Instead of orzo, you could substitute any small pasta shape, or even use farro. Watch the liquid amount if substituting out orzo – start with what the recipe calls for, and if it needs more, add more liquid after 10 minutes.
- Herbs – I use parsley, chives, and thyme. As someone who’s usually a strong proponent of minimal ingredient dishes, I actually think all three are crucial here. If you had to pick only one through, go with parsley – it adds to the most freshness.
- Vegetable broth vs water – I use 1/2 broth, half water. You can use all broth, just note the you will want to add less salt as the vegetable broth is usually already seasoned.
On prep:
- Today, I’m using beech mushrooms in addition to brown button mushrooms. To prep this, trim off the bottom portion that keeps the mushrooms together. Then, I make a cut to half the length of the mushroom stems. I get nervous eating long stems of things (and no one wants to try taking a bite of a stringy mushroom) so halving it just makes each bite more approachable.
On Cooking
- If you’re using a stainless steel pan, the orzo may stick to the bottom of the pan if you aren’t using enough liquid. This will depend on your heat (gas / electric / induction), and can be course corrected by adding more liquid.
- After 10 minutes and you uncover the lid:
- If there’s a bit too much liquid, cook with the lid uncovered on medium high heat to allow more of the liquid to evaporate. You want a slightly liquid consistency after 10 minutes. Once you add in the parmesan cheese and spinach, which you want coated in the sauce as well.
- If you notice that your orzo is sticking to the bottom of the pan, add more liquid. This has happened to me before – once you add liquid and continue to cook it, the orzo will unstick.
- TASTE after adding the spinach and cheese, and cook for a few more minutes if the orzo seems too al dente.
- add more salt and black pepper as needed.
- if it’s too salty, add more water or a touch of balsamic vinegar.
- Make sure to season your burrata! It makes all the difference!
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Reheating: Add this to a pan with a splash of water and reheat until hot, about 3-4 minutes. Alternatively, add the orzo to an oven safe plate and reheat in the oven for 5-7 minutes at 400F.
Other great mushroom / risotto recipes:
Recipe
Mushroom Orzo Risotto with Burrata
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 Pan
Ingredients
- 1 diced shallot
- 6 ounces brown button mushrooms
- 2 ounces beech mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 cup orzo
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1.5 cups of water
- 1/4 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1/2 bunch chives, chopped
- 8 ounces spinach, 2 large handfuls
- .25 cup grated parmesan cheese
- pinch of red pepper flake
- 2 ounces burrata
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- pinch maldon salt
Instructions
- Prep all the vegetables – dice the shallot, wipe then slice the button mushrooms into 1/2” thick pieces, and cut the beech mushrooms in half.1 diced shallot, 6 ounces brown button mushrooms, 2 ounces beech mushrooms
- Heat a pan on medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and the diced shallots and mushrooms. Stir, then cook for 5 minutes. Halfway through, add in the butter and thyme (picked off the stem), and stir to combine. Reduce the heat if the shallots begin to darken too quickly.1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 sprig thyme
- When the mushrooms are browned, add a pinch of salt, then add the orzo. Give everything a stir, then add in the vegetable broth, water, another pinch of salt, and orzo. Cover, and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.1 cup orzo, 1 cup vegetable broth, 1.5 cups of water, kosher salt
- While the orzo is cooking, cut the herbs. Finely chop the parsley and slice the chives.1/4 bunch parsley, 1/2 bunch chives
- Uncover the orzo after 10 minutes and give everything a stir. Add more liquid if it looks a bit dry. Add the spinach and parmesan cheese, cover, and cook for another 3 minutes.8 ounces spinach, .25 cup grated parmesan cheese
- After 3 minutes, add the red pepper flake, parsley, 1/2 the cut chives, and black pepper. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired (and cook longer if the orzo is still al dente), and plate.pinch of red pepper flake, black pepper
- Spoon dollops of burrata over the orzo. Top the burrata with olive oil, malden salt, and finish the dish with the remaining chives. Serve immediately, and enjoy!2 ounces burrata, pinch maldon salt
Nutrition
Calories: 499kcal, Carbohydrates: 64g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 787mg, Potassium: 870mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 11858IU, Vitamin C: 43mg, Calcium: 402mg, Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
