When eating a good risotto, it is very easy to feel like it’s a very indulgent dish and usually, it’s with good reason too as risotto is generally made with the finest olive oils, lashings of butter and of course, let’s not forget that good splash or two of good quality white wine. Given those reasons, you would be right to feel that this is not the healthiest dish to be eating if you are on a diet or a healthy eating plan, however, by implementing just a few simple ingredient swaps, there is no reason that you cannot enjoy your favourite risotto even when you are counting the calories.

This creamy & Mushroom Risotto is the ultimate comfort food and is so easy to make. It may even become your go-to dish for entertaining friends or simply to immerse yourself in whilst cosying up on the sofa watching your favourite box set.

This risotto uses a wine stockpot to give that lovely wine flavour hit without actually using wine. Stock for the risotto can be made up with your favourite good-quality vegetable stock.

Remember, if you use a good quality stock, you will end up with a good quality risotto.

How to make this dish.

Bring a pot of vegetable stock to a boil then reduce t a simmer. Meanwhile, bring a large frying pan to saute pan to medium-high heat.

Spray the base of the pot with One-Cal of Fry-Light cooking spray oil and add the diced onions and saute until the onions have become translucent. Add the crushed garlic, oregano, the wine stockpot and a pinch of salt and pepper to the onion, and stir through until the stockpot has fully melted and is well combined with the onions and garlic.

Note: If the pan becomes a little dry, loosen it off with a little of the stock.

Add the rice and stir to coat with the wine stock, onion and garlic. then add the sliced mushrooms to the pot (holding a few sliced mushrooms back for finishing the dish). The mushrooms will start to release some moisture and the rice will start to soak this up and take on that lovely flavour of the mushrooms.

Add the sliced red peppers (optional). The red peppers are only added to bring a little colour to the dish,

Add the stock to the pan, one ladle at a time, stirring through and waiting until the stock has been absorbed before adding the next ladle of stock. As the rice soaks up the stock, it will start to release its starch and the rice will start to become lovely and creamy. Continue to add stock until the rice has become cooked through but still firm to the bite.

Meanwhile, and this step is optional, in a separate small frying pan, add a few sprays of fry-light or reduced-fat olive oil and add the remaining sliced mushrooms, fry off / sautee on medium-high heat until the are cooked and started to colour. Set aside and keep warm.

Once all the stock has been absorbed or the rice is cooked until just firm to the bite, remove the pan from heat, add the parmesan cheese and the chopped parsley and stir through until well combined.

You can make your risotto a little creamier and indulgent by adding two tablespoons of low-fat Crème Fraiche, stirring through to fully combine.

Serve with a few of the sauteed mushrooms, parmesan shavings and some freshly chopped parsley.

If you want to make your risotto creamier but you do not have crème fraiche, you can use low-fat natural Greek yoghurt instead.