Bacon & Mushroom Risotto
with Thyme, Parmesan & Scallions
- Milk
If you think a rich, creamy risotto is something you can only enjoy at fancy restaurants, think again! This version couldn’t be easier to whip up in your own kitchen. Simply toast your rice in garlicky butter with vidalia onion paste, then simmer with stock until the rice is perfectly al dente and creamy. Stir in thyme-roasted mushrooms and crispy bacon, then garnish with scallion greens and Parmesan for a seriously impressive dinner idea.
Ingredients
4 ounce
Button Mushrooms
2 unit
Scallions
2 clove
Garlic
4 ounce
Bacon
1 teaspoon
Dried Thyme
¾ cup
Arborio Rice
½ ounce
Vidalia Onion Paste
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1 ounce
Cheese Roux Concentrate
(Contains: Milk)
1.5 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon
Olive Oil
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
2 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium pot, bring 5 cups water to a boil (use a large pot and 8 cups water for 4 servings), then reduce to a low simmer. (You’ll use the water in Step 4.) Wash and dry produce. • Trim and thinly slice mushrooms (skip if your mushrooms are pre-sliced!). Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Peel and mince or grate garlic.
• Place bacon* on one side of a baking sheet; toss mushrooms on empty side with a drizzle of oil, half the thyme (all for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. Roast on top rack until bacon is browned and crispy and mushrooms are tender, 15-20 minutes. • Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop.
• While bacon and mushrooms roast, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add scallion whites; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. • Add garlic, rice, Vidalia onion paste, and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings). Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant and rice is translucent at the edges, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add ½ cup simmering water and stock concentrate to pan with rice mixture; stir until liquid has mostly absorbed. • Repeat with remaining simmering water—adding ½ cup at a time and stirring until liquid has mostly absorbed—until rice is al dente and risotto is creamy, 25-30 minutes. TIP: Depending on the size of your pan, you may need a little more or a little less liquid. If you prefer your risotto more al dente, cook for less time.
• Once risotto is done, stir in cheese roux, sour cream, and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) until creamy and combined. • Stir in mushrooms, half the chopped bacon, and half the Parmesan. Taste and season with salt and pepper. TIP: Risotto should be a little loose and saucy right before serving; it will thicken as it cools. If too thick, add a splash of water.
• Divide risotto between bowls. Top with scallion greens, remaining chopped bacon, and remaining Parmesan. Serve.
Bacon is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 145°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many loved the rich, creamy taste with smoky bacon and savory mushrooms; some found it too salty or bland.
- Ease of prep: Risotto takes time and constant stirring, but most felt the delicious result was worth the effort 🍲.
- Suggestions: Consider adding chicken, peas, or white wine for extra flavor; some preferred less cheese roux or bacon.
- Leftovers: Reheats well for some; others found it dry or mushy the next day.
- Portions: Several mentioned wanting larger servings or more protein to make it a complete meal.
Reviews from our home cooks
Cooking the bacon and mushrooms in a pan before starting the risotto in that same pan should definitely be an alternate cooking suggestion. That's what I did (I didn't want to dirty a baking tray and wanted the green onion whites to cook in the bacon fat) and it turned out so good!
Love a good risotto. I had a little extra time for cooking and didn't want to use the oven so, I cut my bacon into small pieces and cooked it in the pan I used for the risotto until it was crispy and drained it. I cooked the mushrooms in the bacon fat and removed them and then followed the directions the rest of the way. Delicious!
This was really good! Risotto takes quite a bit of time, and it took about twice as long as the instructions said. I wish it had included the parmesan it was supposed to include, as all we had to replace it was the type bought in a canister on the shelf, which we both felt left it lacking, but would order again anyway.
I pan fried the bacon and then sauteed the mushrooms in the rendered bacon fat. It allowed me to avoid heating up my kitchen in this summer heat, and added a little flavor to the risotto. Yum.
I loved this dish my first time trying risotto and I loved it recipe made it simple to cook and cleanup was very easy
This took a very long time to make. Risotto did not get that creamy in spite of all the time put into it. I was never able to get the rice grains to become translucent. The juxtaposition of the creamy risotto and the crunchy bacon was not very pleasant. I think it would be better to cut the bacon into bits before you roast it. And maybe not roast it quite as long.
This was so good. By far one of my favorite risotto recipes that I have found on here. Actually I have liked them also far, but this was definitely one of my favorites. Of course the bacon makes it all that much better because bacon makes most food better. The risotto was super creamy and very tasty.
Not sure why (because the risotto is always a pain), but the ingredients in this combine for such a delicious flavor. Great job on this one!
This was my first attempt at risotto, and it turned out pretty delicious. I'm not going to lie, there was a lot of stirring. I'm not sure I would have attempted risotto if it weren't for Hello Fresh. The instructions made sense, and the flavors were easy to add.
Needs way more mushrooms and bacon to make it a 4. The amount of risotto is so disproportionate to the veggies and protein.
