Oven-Baked French Onion Risotto
This is the kind of dish that I want to eat on a cold winter’s evening—it’s hearty, it’s comforting, and it combines the caramelized umami-laden goodness of onions with the creamy tenderness of risotto, plus. I’ve added mushrooms to round out the dish. Like the traditional French Onion Soup, I’ve used beef stock, but if you want to make it vegetarian swap it out for vegetable stock plus a splash of balsamic. Oh, did I mention this recipe is super easy? It starts on the stovetop but the majority of the work happens in the oven. This recipe makes a big generous pot of food—so gather the troops like I did, give everyone a bowl and a fork and have at it. And hope for leftovers (there probably won’t be)!
Serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS
2 yellow onions
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves
½ tsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz white button mushrooms
½ cup white wine
1½ cup arborio rice
4 cups beef stock
½ cup pecorino, grated
1 cup Gruyère, grated, and divided
¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350F.
Peel, trim and thinly slice onions from root to stem. Cut mushrooms into approximately ¼” slices.
In a Dutch oven or other oven-proof pot over medium heat, add olive oil and onions. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened, caramelized and lightly browned in spots. Reduce heat to medium low if onions start to darken too quickly. Add butter, thyme, sugar, garlic and mushrooms and continue to sauté for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine, stir, and reduce 1-2 minutes, then add rice and mix to combine. Add stock, pecorino and half the Gruyère.
Cover and place in oven to bake for 30-32 minutes or until rice is al dente.
Remove from oven and add parsley and remaining Gruyère. Stir to incorporate. The remaining liquid is normal and will thicken up quickly as the starch from the rice is released. Serve immediately with more pecorino alongside.