French Onion Risotto
This post is sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market. As always, all opinions, thoughts and recipes are my own.
Celebrate the arrival of fall with comforting, decadent French Onion Risotto! A twist on the soup, this one-pot risotto really hits the spot. Makes 4-6 servings.
Love comfort food? Don’t miss Chicken Pot Pie and Shiner Bock Beer Chili!
Last weekend, I walked outside in the early morning hours. The sun had yet to rise, so it wasn’t too hot. A light, cool breeze fluttered my hair, reminding me that fall is (just) around the corner.
Early September is the part of the year I long for the cooler months… and since I live in Texas, I have a ways to go before I can bust out my sweaters, boots and jackets.
But just because it’s still warm outside for us doesn’t mean we can’t dream of the fall and all the goodness it will provide.
Why I love this easy risotto recipe:
I was approached by the folks at Sprouts Farmers Market to create a delicious entrée that represents my favorite cozy, warm fall dish.
Two of my favorite fall dishes are French Onion Soup and any kind of cheesy, creamy risotto. My idea was to combine these two into one delightfully delicious entrée.
While I know there’s probably a risotto purist (or a French Onion purist) shaking their heads at this combination, trust me when I tell you this is oh-so-tasty. It’s a meal the whole family can devour, assuming your family loves beef, caramelized onions, risotto and cheese like mine does.
Other recipes featuring French onion flavors: Steak Bruschetta with French Onion Marmalade | Instant Pot French Onion Soup | French Onion Steak Pasta | French Onion Biscuits | Instant Pot French Onion Meatloaf | French Onion Poutine
Looking for more comforting flavors? Head on over to my Dinner Recipe Index for more ideas.
What you need to make French Onion Risotto:
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- Dutch oven
- Liquid measuring cup
- Saucepan to keep the beef stock warm
- Box grater
- Sharp knife and cutting board
In addition to these tools, you’re going to need ingredients to make this homemade risotto, too:
- Ground beef—85% lean is my favorite because it has a ton of flavor without adding a ton of extra fat to the recipe. It will mingle with the onions as they cook and give them extra umph on the flavor front, too.
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Onions—yellow or white onions are perfect for this recipe
- Unsalted butter
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Arborio rice—other white rices, like Basmati, won’t work as well here because they don’t have as high a starch content as Arborio does.
- Beef stock
- Whole milk
- Provolone cheese
- Fresh thyme
How to make French Onion Risotto
Cook the meat. Simply brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper. When the beef is cooked through, remove from the Dutch oven, and set aside.
Caramelize the onions. Add the butter and olive oil to the Dutch oven, and lower the heat. When the butter has melted, add the thinly sliced onions, and cover the Dutch oven. Open it every so often to stir.
The goal here is to caramelize the onions without burning them. This should take around 25 minutes, depending on how hot the burner is. When the onions have caramelize, remove from the pan, and set aside.
Make the homemade risotto. Add the Arborio rice to the Dutch oven. Stir around with a wooden spoon, letting the rice toast for a few minutes.
When the rice has some color to it, begin adding the beef stock one cup at a time. Stir constantly, letting the rice get air and soak up the liquid. Continue this process until all of the stock has been absorbed, and the rice is tender.
Finish the risotto. Add the ground beef and onions into the pot, stirring until incorporated. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat. Measure in the milk and provolone and stir, then sprinkle in the thyme.
Serve warm, and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Classic French Onion flavors involve beef, but if you’d rather chicken or turkey, feel free. While the flavors won’t have the same depth, it’ll still be tasty.
You can use yellow or white onions here. I tend to like yellow onions better, but white work just as well. I would avoid purple onions in this recipe.
YES! We don’t use wine in this risotto recipe. Instead, we let the beef stock deglaze the pan before it soaks into the risotto and add some milk for extra creaminess.
French Onion Risotto
Celebrate the (impending) arrival of fall with comforting, decadent French Onion Risotto! A twist on the soup, this one-pot risotto really hits the spot. Ground beef is browned in a Dutch oven, then onions are caramelized. Remove the onions and beef. Toast the arborio rice... then add beef stock slowly until the rice is cooked. Add the cooked beef and onions to the rice, stir in milk and provolone, sprinkle in fresh thyme, and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef (85/15 is my favorite)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 medium-sized onions, (about 2 lbs.), halved and sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
- 32 oz. beef stock, warmed and simmering in a saucepan
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2/3 lb. shredded provolone cheese
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the beef is cooked through, remove from the Dutch oven, and set aside.
- Add the butter and olive oil to the Dutch oven.
- When the butter has melted, add the thinly sliced onions.
- Cover the Dutch oven, opening every so often to stir. The goal here is to caramelize the onions without burning them. This should take around 25 minutes, depending on how hot the burner is.
- When the onions have caramelize, remove from the pan, and set aside.
- Add the Arborio rice to the Dutch oven. Stir around with a wooden spoon, letting the rice toast for a few minutes.
- When the rice has some color to it, begin adding the beef stock. You will want to add one cup at a time. Stir constantly, letting the rice get air and soak up the liquid.
- Continue this process until the entire 32 oz. of beef stock have been used, and the rice is tender.
- Add the ground beef and onions back to the risotto, stirring until incorporated.
- Remove the Dutch oven from the heat. Measure in the milk and provolone and stir, then sprinkle in the thyme.
- Serve warm, and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 592Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 1202mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 40g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
Since French onion soup is typically topped with gruyere cheese, do you think it would be OK to sub that in instead of using provolone?
Absolutely! I like provolone better than gruyere, which is why I used it here. I’m sure the gruyere would be delicious, too! Let me know what you think.