Red Wine Mushroom Risotto

Mushroom risotto is my favorite. Sooo creamy, flavorful and pretty easy to make! Traditional mushroom risotto, however, is made with lots of butter, cheese and chicken broth. No thank you! So, I decided to switch to make an all-vegan one, and took it a step further by using red wine instead of white. Of course, if you want the traditional risotto, you can always substitute the red for white, but I suggest everyone try a red wine risotto at least once in their lives!

This recipe can be used as a full meal or a side. It works great as an entree with a side salad or roasted vegetables! While this is a simple recipe, you want to be prepared for a lot of prep time. You have to chop the vegetables as well a lot of stirring and broth adding in order to cook the rice. So be sure you set aside a good hour or so for prep and cook time.

So, without further ado…let us begin!

You will need:

a large pot or deep skillet for cooking the meal in
6 cups chopped or sliced mushrooms. You can use white or brown crimini, shitake or a mix of all 3
6 cups vegetable broth
2 cups uncooked white rice
1 cup red wine
1 cup vegan cheese (I used shredded daiya mozzarella)
2 large shallots, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp coconut oil or vegan butter
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1:

In your large cooking pot or deep skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat to medium high heat. Add in the mushrooms and cook 4-5 minutes until soft and golden, then remove from pan along with the liquid and set aside.

Step 2:

Turn the heat down to medium, and add the last tbsp of olive oil. Add in the shallots and minced garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add in the rice and cook together until both are golden color.

Step 3:

Lower heart to medium low and add in the red wine, stirring and cooking until wine is absorbed in the rice. You will see that the rice will begin to take on the dark wine color.

With the same heat, add in 1 cup of broth, and stir until fully absorbed in rice. Continue adding each cup, stirring constantly until the broth is abosorbed and rice is cooked. If you need more liquid, you can add more broth (or wine!) and it will keep cooking until you have reached your desired consistency with the rice.

Step 4:

Once the rice is cooked, remove from heat. Add back in the mushrooms, as well as the chives, coconut oil/margarine, salt and pepper. Stir to fully mix together, then add in the Daiya cheese, and mix again. Top with chives, more cheese or onions, and serve!