Creamy Parmesan Risotto With Saffron

Name: Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Saffron
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 23 min
Ingredients: 5 cups chicken broth (low sodium ); 1 pinch saffron threads (dried whole); 2 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin); 1 large onion (peeled and chopped); salt (to taste); 2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced); 1½ cups arborio rice; 1 cup white wine (dry ); 2 tbsp butter; ¾ cup parmesan cheese (grated and a little extra for garnish)

Published: Nov 6, 2020 · Modified: Jan 23, 2022 by HWC Magazine · 43 Comments

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Creamy parmesan risotto with saffron is an easy traditional Italian comfort food rice side dish that pairs perfectly with our Pressure Cooker Oxtail Stew. Ready in under 20 minutes.

Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Saffron in a cute white and orange hand painted Italian pottery.

Creamy Parmesan Risotto Cooking Therapy

One bite of this creamy saffron risotto and you are going to be hooked. Arborio rice is creamy, dreamy, cheesy and slow cooked with a little Italian love. The best preventative mental health exercise is pouring a little hot chicken broth and stirring the saffron risotto until it is creamy and delicious.

There is something very calming and Zen-like about watching the rice cook. For just a few minutes, you are living in the moment. One moment of just cooking and stirring the rice without distractions. One hand slowly stirs the risotto and a glass of wine in the other is the perfect way to relax after a stressful day.

One delicious bite of risotto on a fork.

What to serve with Saffron Risotto?

Saffron Risotto is a delicious simple carbohydrate. This easy side dish goes perfectly with our One Pan Rosemary Boneless Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes, Garlic Chicken Saltimbocca, Rustic Chicken Cacciatore and of course, our Pressure Cooker Oxtail Stew.

Don’t you love the cozy feeling you get when you scoop a little creamy parmesan risotto on your fork with a little fall off the bone tender osso buco? That is one perfect bite. The richness of the sauce and brightness from the citrus gremolata is a perfect pairing for a Sunday supper.

Have you ever had risotto before? If so, you know that it can be great all by itself as a main with a delicious tossed salad with a light and bright Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Delicious pressure cooker oxtail stew along a side of saffron rice on a black and white Italian dish. — Pressure Cooker Oxtail Stew and Creamy Parmesan Risotto

What is the Difference Between Saffron Risotto and Risotto alla Milanese?

Saffron Risotto is a classic Italian plain risotto made with chicken broth and a little pinch of saffron. Risotto alla Milanese is made with a beef broth, a pinch of saffron and beef bone marrow. Both are delicious but we really enjoy a simple creamy parmesan risotto with saffron as it goes with so many dishes and its kid friendly.

Ingredients

Butter – The real deal. Grass fed is best.
Onions – We used a regular yellow onion, but you can also use shallots. Use what you have on hand is always our motto.
Garlic – But, of course! Garlic is not a traditional ingredient. However, it is a delicious addition you won’t want to miss.
Arborio Rice – is an Italian short-grained rice. This rice has a higher starch content and it makes a great rice for creamy risotto. You can also use Carnaroli, Maratelli, Baldo and Vialone Nano rice for this recipe.
Chicken Stock – It is best to use a low sodium chicken broth. When the risotto cooks down, the salt level intensifies. If you have homemade chicken stock, that is perfect for this creamy parmesan risotto. The addition of parmesan cheese will also be salty. Therefore, it is best to have a low sodium chicken broth so you can adjust the seasoning as needed.
Dry White Wine – Our second-best motto is use whatever your drinking. We just happened to be drinking a delicious chardonnay so a little for the recipe and the rest for the chef works for us. After all, we are working on that our positive mental health, living in the moment, right? (smiling)
Parmesan Cheese – The king of cheeses is sublime in our creamy parmesan risotto. It adds that depth of flavor and savory deliciousness that you are craving. If you are vegan, you can skip this addition, but this recipe is just not the same without it. Nutritional yeast will leave this recipe grainy, so it is NOT suggested. However, you can make your own homemade vegan parmesan as well.
Saffron – It brings that beautiful golden yellow color to the risotto and adds a little sweet floral and earthy taste to this Italian Risotto. The bright red stigmas are harvested from a flower called crocus sativus. Saffron is one of those spices that is a little on the expensive side. However, you only need a little pinch. That will leave you plenty of extra spice to try in our delicious Slow Roasted Moroccan Spiced Leg of Lamb. If you really love that golden color but do not have any saffron, add a pinch of turmeric powder.

Scoop of saffron chicken broth getting added to the cooking risotto.

Why Do You Need to Warm the Broth for Risotto?

Heating up your chicken broth ensures that the arborio rice, chicken broth and pan are all the same temperature. The process of heating up the broth ensures that all the grains of rice cooks evenly.

No one likes some crunchy grains of rice, some perfect and some mushy. Most generally speaking, you are looking for a creamy risotto consistency with each and every bite. If you love a good creamy risotto, be sure to try our Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto and our Roasted Chestnut Pumpkin Risotto.

Pinch of saffron getting sprinkled into the chicken broth.

How to Make Saffron Bloom?

There is no need to allow extra time for your saffron to bloom in this Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Saffron recipe. Dried saffron has plenty of time to open up when steeping in the simmering chicken broth and during the cooking process. Blooming saffron is a process to extract out the flavor and color from the saffron stigmas. Blooming sometimes requires grinding, frying or steeping like tea before adding to a recipe.

How to Make Saffron Risotto

Do NOT wash arborio rice. This strips away all the starches that make this risotto extra creamy.
In a medium pot, add your low sodium chicken broth or homemade and heat to a simmer.
Add a pinch of saffron to the chicken broth and the broth will turn bright yellow in a few minutes.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add onions and salt until slightly translucent. We actually like to take them a little bit further until they just start to think about browning.
Add the arborio rice and garlic and toast for about 1 minute in the pan with the onions. The purpose is to add a nutty flavor to the risotto.
Deglaze the pan with the dry white wine or wine you happen to be drinking.
Then one little ladle at a time, add a little of the saffron spiced chicken broth to the arborio rice. Making sure your heat is on a low simmer or a medium bubble.
Do not over stir your risotto. You only want to stir it often enough to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. If you over stir, it can ruin the consistency.
Allow the rice to cook down the liquid until you can make a path with your spatula or wooden spoon. If you can make a path with your spatula in the pan, it is time to add another scoop of warmed saffron chicken broth. (See photo above for example) Repeat this process several more times. After 15 minutes, check taste a little bit of the rice for consistency. If the risotto is still crunchy, add a few more rounds of chicken broth and stirring until it reaches your creamy consistency. The consistency should be slightly loose and creamy.
Remove the Italian risotto from the heat source. Add in a dollop of butter and grated parmesan cheese and stir well.
Enjoy!

How to Store Saffron Risotto?

Risotto is best enjoyed straight away. However, it can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days, but it will stiffen and thicken up because of all the starches. You can reheat risotto in the microwave or on the stove top, but you will need to add just need to add a little heated chicken broth to revive it.

Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Saffron in a white, yellow and orange hand painted Italian pottery plate.

What to Do with Leftover Risotto?

Our favorite way to enjoy leftover risotto is to make arancini balls or risotto fritter balls. Essentially, roll up your leftover risotto in a ball, dip into a beaten egg, seasoned breadcrumbs and fry them up. Sometimes, mom used to put in a little wedge of mozzarella cheese in the center for a delicious surprise. These risotto balls are super delicious with a little marinara sauce.

Arborio rice uncooked in a measuring cup. — Arborio Rice

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

What is Saffron

Saffron is one of the most precious spices in the world. The bright red stigmas are harvested from a flower called crocus sativus.

What Does Saffron Taste Like?

Real saffron is slightly sweet, floral and earthy in flavor. Living in Asia, we came upon our fair share of the fake imitation saffron. Fake saffron might have lots of yellow stigmas compared to red. They may taste extremely bitter, instead of earthy sweet. Real saffron threads have one end that is shaped like a trumpet. If both ends are thin, then it is most likely fake.

Do not be tempted to buy ground saffron. It might be fake. If you need ground saffron for a recipe, buy it whole and grind yourself. This way you know that you are buying pure saffron and not fake saffron.

Why is Saffron so Expensive?

The reason why this spice is so expensive is because each of these flowers only produce three strands of the red stigmas. The flowers only bloom once a year and the red stigmas must be harvested by hand. Unless you live in Greece, India, Iran, Afghanistan or Spain where saffron are usually grown, your saffron had to be imported.

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