Bacon and Mushroom Risotto is a super easy side dish using your Instant Pot. Adding a bit of a Southwestern kick with New Mexico Chile Powder compliments the nutty flavor of the Arborio Rice and the earthy flavor of Mushrooms. A meal in itself, or a side dish for your favorite entree.
We like to serve this with Coriander Crusted Pork Tenderloin. The rich flavor of the risotto seems a perfect partner for tender pork.
What You Can Expect From This Recipe
Mushrooms are a tailor-made addition to creamy risotto. And adding bacon takes this risotto recipe to the next level. This traditional Italian dish gets a dose of fusion with Southwestern love by adding a bit of New Mexico Chile powder for a little heat.
Why Make Risotto In The Instant Pot?
- It’s Fast and Easy: Let your pressure cooker do the heavy lifting for a hands-off risotto experience.
- Ready in about 30-minutes. Cooking risotto in the Instant Pot takes the guess work, fear and doubt for this notoriously finicky dish.
- Using a pressure cooker eliminates the traditional custom of standing over the pot and stirring, stirring …and stirring.
- Risotto’s reputable creamy luxurious texture is not compromised.
- It simply makes risotto a more accessible side dish. You’ll simply want to make it more often.
- Scientifically there’s something about a pressure cooker and its results on any starchy food that seems to make it softer, stickier and the flavor seems better. The Instant Pot website says that “cooking under pressure or at higher temperature starch in rice gelatinizes to the maximum degree. This is why pressure cooked rice has a softer and stickier grain texture in comparison to boiled and steamed rice at normal pressure”.
I also noticed a more desirable texture when I cooked pasta in the Instant Pot. My Chicken Chipotle Mac and Cheese seemed to simply melt in my mouth, in a very favorable and flavor-able way.
Once the ingredients are gathered and the small amount of chopping required, all that’s left is a 6-minute pressure cook and it’s read to eat.
The Flavor Profile: The woodsy flavor of shiitake mushrooms are a great partner for the earthy rich flavor of the chile powder. Smoky bacon adds a layer of unforgettable flavor.
Let’s take a look at how to make Bacon Mushroom Risotto:
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Mushrooms: I like to use shiitake mushrooms for this recipe, but experiment with different varieties or even a mix of mushrooms. Oyster, Trumpet, Chanterelle or easy to find button or baby bella mushrooms.
- Arborio Rice: Arborio rice is a short grain rice that is traditionally used to make Italian Risotto. It has a high starch content which gives it it’s creamy texture. No substitutions here please.
- Parmesan Cheese: A hard Italian cheese with a nutty fruity flavor. Again traditional for risotto, no substitutions please.
- Chile Powder: I prefer and always have a good supply of New Mexico Red Chile Powder. You can substitute Ancho Chile Powder.
Pro Tip: Purchase good quality cheese and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese in bags includes additives to keep it from clumping, which will also compromise the melting factor. Grating cheese from a block of cheese will result in a creamier and more consistent melting experience. Plus, it’s less expensive.
Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy
- Step 1: Cook bacon until crispy stovetop. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Set the Instant Pot to Sautee. When hot, add oil and butter. Once butter is melted, add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Warm the chicken stock in the microwave for 1 ½ minutes. I like to use my 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. During the time the stock is heating, add the onions and cook, stirring regularly for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Step 2: Add the rice and chile powder and stir until rice is nicely coated., stirring for 1 minute.
- Step 3: Add the chicken broth and stir. Press the cancel button. Put the lid on, lock, and set Press ‘pressure cook on high, and set the timer for 6 minutes.
- Step 4: Once pressure is released and you can remove the lid, add in the grated Parmesan cheese, cream, cooked bacon pieces and a little more butter if you’d like.
- Step 5: Stir all ingredients until well combined.
- Step 6: Grab your favorite serving bowls and serve this risotto with bacon and mushrooms immediately.
Tips For Success
- The rice itself is important. A high starch content rice is the key to the creamy texture of risotto. Arborio rice is readily available on grocery shelves. You can also Seek out Carnaroli rice, considered to be the king of rices when it comes to making risotto, and will give you that restaurant quality experience. You can find it at your favorite Italian Specialty Market. Avoid long-grain rices like Jasmine or Basmati, which are lower in starch.
- No Need To Rinse The Rice: You need that starch residue that lives on the surface of the rice to achieve that creamy texture.
- Use a Microplane Zester or a Box Grater to finely grate the Parmesan Cheese. Thicker chunks of cheese will not properly melt.
- If the risotto is a bit too wet after the final stir after cooking, turn on the sautee function and drizzle in a little more milk.
- Purchase regular thick cut bacon. Some of the fancier flavored smoked additives will over-power the delicate flavor of this risotto recipe. You want a balanced flavor.
- Kitchen shears make easy work to cut the bacon into small pieces before frying.
Questions You May Have
Yes, rice is a gluten free product and the ingredients are gluten free.
How To Serve It
Bacon Mushroom Risotto can be served as a main course. Or serve it with your favorite main course. May I suggest Italian Beef Tagliata, or these Lamb Skewers with Lemon Vinaigrette.
Leftovers and Storage
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To reheat, take advantage of your microwave’s 50% power function. Reheat individual servings in 15-second increments. Add a little milk before reheating if the left-over risotto seems a little dry
Recipe For Bacon and Mushroom Risotto
More Instant Pot Recipes
Love using your Instant Pot? Check these out.
And if you’re looking for more rice side dishes, don’t miss this recipe for Toasted Mexican Green Rice. A perfect side dish for your next Mexican Entree.
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Instant Pot Bacon Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- 6 ounces Bacon chopped and cooked to crispy stage
- 1 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup sweet onion diced
- 5 ounce Package Mushrooms sliced. Shiitake, button or baby bella work well here.
- ¾ cup arborio rice
- 1 teaspoon pure chile powder such as Chimayó or ancho
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock placed in a Pyrex measuring cup and heated in microwave
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- In a fry pan stovetop, cook the chopped bacon until crispy stage. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sautee. When hot, add oil and butter. Once butter is melted, add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Warm the chicken stock in the microwave for 1 ½ minutes. I like to use my 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. During the time the stock is heating, add the onions to the Instant Pot and cook, stirring regularly for 1 to 2 minutes
- Add the rice and chile powder and stir until rice is nicely coated, for 1 minute. Add the warmed chicken stock.
- Press the cancel button. Put the lid on the Instant Pot making sure it's in the locked position and pressure valve is down. Press 'pressure cook on high, and set the timer for 6 minutes.When the timer beeps, release the pressure.
- Once the pressure is released and you're able to open the lid, stir in the cheese, cream, cooked bacon pieces and a little more butter if you'd like.
Notes
- The rice itself is important. A high starch content rice is the key to the creamy texture of risotto. Arborio rice is readily available on grocery shelves. You can also Seek out Carnaroli rice, considered to be the king of rices when it comes to making risotto, and will give you that restaurant quality experience. You can find it at your favorite Italian Specialty Market. Avoid long-grain rices like Jasmine or Basmati, which are lower in starch.
- No Need To Rinse The Rice: You need that starch residue that lives on the surface of the rice to achieve that creamy texture.
- Use a Microplane Zester or a Box Grater to finely grate the Parmesan Cheese. Thicker chunks of cheese will not properly melt.
- If the risotto is a bit too wet after the final stir after cooking, turn on the sautee function and drizzle in a little more milk.
- Purchase regular thick cut bacon. Some of the fancier flavor smoked additives will over-power the delicate flavor of this risotto recipe.
- Kitchen shears make easy work to cut the bacon into small pieces before frying.
Nutrition
Bacon Mushroom Risotto … It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and believe that everyone should try to cook as often as they can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Made this twice now. It’s so good!!! Looking forward to more posts.
Thank you so much for letting me know Kimberly. I’ve just had surgery, so haven’t spent much time in the kitchen. I’m missing my Instant Pot projects.
Hey Lea Ann, Looking forward to making this recipe! Thank you for sharing! Is the recipe correct at 8 Shitake or were the 4 mushrooms listed twice? Colleen
Such a fun, delicious way to change up risotto!
Thank you so much Barbara. We really thought it was good.
Thank you Barbara!
I fear I’m officially a chile head. I didn’t know how long the ristra would last – I was hoping a few years.