French Onion Risotto

The flavors you love in a warm and comforting bowl of French onion soup, but reimagined in velvety, creamy bowl of risotto.

This winter, I’ve fully embraced comforting meals. Whether it’s Brothy Beans & Greens, Spicy Calabrian Meatballs, or a variety of hearty and soul-warming soups, the focus has been on creating cozy comfort food, and I believe the website successfully delivered just that. I can’t close out the comfort food season without a nod to the epitome of comfort food – French onion soup. This French onion risotto is velvety and creamy, with sweet caramelized onions and a deep beef flavor. And unlike popular belief making this rich risotto is relatively easy and does not require an arm workout.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR FRENCH ONION RISOTTO

RISOTTO

• Arborio Rice – If you are tempted to make this recipe with the long grain rice you have chilling in the back of your pantry, please don’t. Different varieties of rice have different starch levels, and risotto needs high-starch rice to give it its iconic creamy texture. Arborio is the most popular rice for risotto, available in almost any supermarket. If you want to elevate it even more, Carnaroli is the better grain, though harder to come by. You can find Carnaroli rice online HERE.
• Beef Broth – Yes, beef instead of chicken for this recipe. Choose a flavorful beef broth; I like to use Better than Bouillon to make mine. Not only does it have great flavor, but I also have control over the intensity.
• White Wine -The best rule of thumb is to use a wine you would drink. For this recipe, you need a dry white wine. My recommendation and go-to is Sauvignon Blanc, but if you prefer Pinot Grigio, go with that.
• Thyme – Fresh only, about 6-7 sprigs.
• Parmesan Cheese – As always, use fresh only. I made an executive decision when crafting this risotto to leave out the Gruyere cheese, which is the traditional cheese you would find on top of the iconic soup. Why? Gruyere is a very funky cheese, and while I do love it in moderation, the strong flavor would overpower the risotto. By all means, if you LOVE Gruyere, swap the Parmesan for it.
• Garlic – Fresh only!
• Butter

CARMELIZED ONIONS

• Onions – You need LARGE yellow, Spanish or Vidalia onions. I am talking full fist full. It will appear to be a lot of onions raw but once they cook down you will only be left with less than a cup of caramelized onions.
• Butter
• Beef Broth – Used at the end to rehydrate the onions.

TOOLS NEEDED

Wide Pan- The rice needs ample surface area to cook. A wide saute pan or even a braiser works for this dish. If you don’t have either a large skillet will also do.

HOW TO MAKE FRENCH ONION RISOTTO

CARMELIZED ONIONS

Cook Down the Onions – Preheat a large skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the butter. Add the onions, a heavy pinch of salt, and toss the onions to coat them in the melted butter. Now, cook the onions down. Without fussing with the onions or the pan, let them cook undisturbed. Only mix the pan every 7-8 minutes or if you notice some onions browning faster than others due to a hot spot (it happens). The less you fuss with them and the less you touch them, the quicker and more evenly they will cook. Cook until they are a medium golden brown but not burnt. Add 1/4 cup of beef broth and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

I will admit this is a lengthy recipe because of the onions. Here’s a hack: cook the onions a day or two before making the risotto. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to use, just pop them into the risotto during the designated step; no need to reheat

RISOTTO

Sauté the Base –Before you begin, place the beef broth in a saucepan over low heat. A warm broth helps maintain a consistent temperature throughout the risotto cooking process, resulting in a better final texture. Add 3 tbsp of butter to a wide pot or pan over low heat. Introduce the garlic and fresh thyme leaves, cooking for 2-3 minutes until they are soft and fragrant, but not brown. If the garlic begins to brown, the heat is too high.

Toast the Risotto – Next, add the unwashed arborio ( or Carnaroli) rice to the pan and toast for 3 minutes, until the grains start to become translucent.

Add the Wine + Onions – Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook until it has almost completely reduced or been absorbed. This should take about 3 minutes. Typically, you would reduce wine further, but the rice absorbs it quickly. Once the wine has reduced, add the onions and mix.

Add the Broth – Add the warm beef broth to the risotto, but not all at once! For every cup of risotto, you need approx. 4- 4 1/2 cups of broth. Have extra on hand! I found with different brands of Arborio rice I needed + or – a cup. My rule of thumb is to pour just enough broth to cover the risotto, when the broth starts to dip below the grains it is time to add more.

Mix, add, shake – Mix 2-3 times per broth add. If you end up mixing more, no big deal! Also give the pan a mix or a shake midway to ensure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom. I typically mix once right after I add the broth and like 2-3 times a few minutes later. You will end up mixing more the further along the rice gets to make sure it doesn’t stick.

Add the Parm– In the last minute, right before all the broth has been absorbed turn off the heat. Throw in the Parmesan and combine. The rice will absorb the remaining broth, and the end result will be a loose but not runny risotto.

STORING/REHEATING

Risotto is meant to be eaten immediately, from the pan to the plate. Leftovers of this French onion risotto can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to reheat, place it in a pan over low heat with a light pour of beef broth to rehydrate and loosen the risotto. Add more if needed. Leftover risotto is also great to use to make risotto balls or arancini.

If you are new here then you may not know this but this risotto is actually #11 on the site. Check out the other risotto flavors below!

Mushroom Parm Risotto // Kale & Pancetta Risotto
Lemon Parm Risotto // Cacio e Pepe Risotto
Spicy Vodka Risotto // Brown Butter & Sage Risotto
Creamy Tomato Risotto // Smoked Gouda Risotto
Lobster Risotto // Crab Risotto