Bacon & Scallop Mushroom Risotto
with Parsley & Lemon Wedges
- Milk
- Shellfish
Scallops love bacon and the feeling is mutual! And what better way to let this surf-and-turf romance blossom than on a bed of creamy mushroom risotto? Some of the crisped bacon is stirred into the risotto so you’ll get a little bit of smoky goodness in every bite. The sweet scallops served on top are seared and butter-basted so they’re extra luscious. Is it getting hot in here? No, just us?
Ingredients
2 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
4 ounce
Bacon
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Shallot
¾ cup
Arborio Rice
4 ounce
Button Mushrooms
1 unit
Lemon
¼ ounce
Parsley
¼ cup
Italian Cheese Blend
(Contains: Milk)
10 ounce
Scallops
(Contains: Shellfish)
Not included in your delivery
4 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
2 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• In a medium pot, combine 5 cups water (8 cups for 4 servings) and stock concentrates. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. (You’ll use the simmering stock in step 3.) • Heat a large, dry pan over medium- high heat. Add bacon*; cook, turning occasionally and adjusting heat if browning too quickly, until crispy, 6-10 minutes. • Turn off heat; transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop. Wipe out pan.
• While bacon cooks, wash and dry produce. • Peel and very thinly slice garlic. Halve, peel, and mince shallot.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a second large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot; cook, stirring, until softened, 1 minute. • Add rice; stir until translucent, 1-2 minutes. • Add 1 cup stock (1½ cups for 4 servings); stir until liquid has mostly absorbed. Repeat with remaining stock—adding ½ cup at a time and stirring until liquid has mostly absorbed—until rice is al dente and mixture is creamy, 18-20 minutes. TIP: Depending on the size of your pan, you may need a little more or a little less liquid.
• While risotto cooks, trim and slice mushrooms into ¼-inch-thick pieces (skip if your mushrooms are pre- sliced!). Zest and quarter lemon. Pick parsley leaves from stems; roughly chop leaves. • Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for bacon over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until browned and crisp, 6-8 minutes. • Turn off heat; remove from pan and set aside.
• Pat scallops* dry with paper towels; season generously all over with salt and pepper. • Once mushrooms are done, heat a large drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add scallops; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 2-3 minutes. • Turn off heat; stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) until melted.
• Once risotto is done, stir in mushrooms, lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice, half the bacon, half the cheese, and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings). Season with salt and pepper. Add more lemon juice if desired. • Divide risotto between bowls; top with scallops, remaining bacon, and remaining cheese. Garnish with parsley. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the delicious combination of bacon, scallops, and mushrooms, though some found it bland or overpowered by lemon.
- Ease of prep: Risotto took longer than expected and required constant stirring; some found the multiple steps challenging but worthwhile.
- Suggestions: Consider adding white wine to the risotto for depth; cook mushrooms before starting risotto to manage timing better.
- Portions: Generous servings satisfied most, with some having enough for leftovers; a few wanted more scallops.
- Scallops: Some praised the scallop quality, while others found them small or fishy; pat dry and sear quickly for best results.
Reviews from our home cooks
Really yummy! Textures and flavors good, great pairing of scallops and bacon with the lemon and parsley. Very flavorful.
I really liked this recipe, I had never made risotto before, this recipe made it easy. I loved the scallops
This was not the best risotto I've ever had, but for the quality of homemade ingredients it was absolutely worth it. A lot of fun to make, tons of scallops, and paired perfectly with the bacon. Totally worth the extra money for the premium meal
This was a spectacular dish that came out awesome with the delicious bacon and seared scallops (seared scallops are always a hit in our household)
I know that this recipe is already rated as difficult, but even as an experienced cook, it's hard the way that the instructions are written, the home chef is expected to cook mushrooms and scallops while constantly stirring risotto. Should direct chefs to saute the mushrooms prior to starting the risotto, and to cook the scallops after the risotto has finished. This is what I did. Risotto should be stirred constantly while being prepared and the chef should not be expected to cook something else simulaneously. The pre-cooked mushrooms reheated in the finished hot risotto easily, and the scallops cook so quickly, you don't have to worry about the rice being cold if they are cooked after the risotto is fully finished. Additionally, the scallops provided by Hello Fresh are quite small. if they are cooked for 2-3 minutes as instructed, they will be overdone. Mine were finished in about 90 seconds.
Delicious! Would be good to note that it will take much longer than the recipe indicates unless there is more than one person preparing dinner. Also, a note about cleaning the foot off the scallops is recommended. Delicious flavor and ample serving size
I loved the lemon in the risotto. I usually add heavy cream to risotto but didn't this time because of the lemon. It was a nice adaptation.
Next time I will not add the cheese directly into the risotto. It went from perfect consistency to something like spackle. Better to just put all of the cheese on top just before serving than to mix any in. Risotto is a labor of love--and this took much longer to cook than the recipe said. It was delicious but I'd modify those steps.
Add more garlic. My clove was half rotten so i could only use half but you cant taste it. Id probably add 3 cloves. Id also add one of the flavored butters to this either truffle or garlic and herb to compliment the flavors. I had may 3/4 tablespoon of the garlic and herb butter and i tossed it in the scallops and it helped make thos more flavorful instead of just lemon flavor
This was really tasty. We had some forgotten Truffle Powder from a previous week and added that to the Risotto which gave it a lovely flavor.
