This easy French onion risotto uses the oven baking method for cooking the rice and it couldn’t be any easier. Teeming with all your favorite flavors from French onion soup – deeply rich caramelized onions, parmesan cheese and beef broth, this hands off risotto recipe is bound to be both a weeknight favorite and a party showstopper.
Recently, I wanted to surprise my partner with a cozy dish we could make for a date night in. The focus I wanted to have for the meal was homely, romantic, and most importantly, easy to make and affordable. What I came up with was this Oven Baked French Onion Risotto. It checks all the arbitrary boxes for a proper date night in :
- Rice and onions are some of the cheapest ingredients you can buy at the grocery store
- It’s literally baked in one pan for the entire time, no stirring needed!
- It’s richly flavored, filling, and perfect on its own as a main course with a glass of wine or paired with with a nice steak
Recently, caramelized onion pasta has been all the rage on TikTok – and it sort of inspired me to come up with a rice version of this viral dish!
EVERYTHING YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE THIS FRENCH ONION RISOTTO
Homemade risotto has a reputation for being a laborious dish which requires long commitments in front of the stove, stirring constantly while whisking in cup after cups of broth. No more! This oven bake method is my go-to for hands off luxury cooking, and it always comes out to creamy perfection. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Onions: The star of the show! This dish uses 4 whole onions to produce that deep, rich French onion flavor.
- Arborio rice: Stubby, pearly grains of Arborio rice help keep this risotto creamy and luxurious.
- Olive oil: A little oil goes a long way to toast the rice and help the onions caramelize.
- Beef broth: Beef broth helps lend an umami depth to this risotto. To keep it vegetarian/vegan, use vegetable stock!
- Parmesan cheese: Sprinkle in a handful or two of parmesan cheese, and you got a rich risotto that’s amazingly flavorful for how few ingredients are involved.
HOW TO MAKE PERFECT CARAMELIZED ONIONS
Caramelized onions can be a test of patience, but it is so worth it to get those French onion flavors! Onions go through three stages of the Maillard reaction – blonde, browned, and caramelized.
It takes about 30-45 minutes for onions to get to the caramelized stage, where the onions turn a deep amber, and take on a jammy, richly sweet flavor.
Start by warming some oil or butter in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add in the onions and reduce the heat to medium. Stir the onions occasionally until they start to brown.
Keep an eye on them over the next 30 minutes or so to prevent one side of the onions from burning. Once the onions are soft, deep brown and fragrant, you’ll know they’re done!
CAN I USE REGULAR RICE FOR RISOTTO?
I would highly recommend using Arborio rice for this recipe as this type of rice can absorb up to three times its weight in water! Its high starch content makes it the perfect type of rice to produce that creamy slip that risotto is famous for, and any other rice- even short grain sushi rice, will not absorb the same way as Arborio rice will.
You can find Arborio rice at most grocery stores in the pantry aisle- look for pearly, stubby grains that are considerably shorter than other grains of rice.
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER RISOTTO
Risotto will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Be sure to cool the rice quickly and refrigerate any leftover within 2 hours of being cooked.
HOW TO REHEAT LEFTOVER RISOTTO
Leftover risotto is a tricky dish to serve leftovers of. With all that starch and cheese, it tends to harden in the fridge, while reheating methods like the microwave tend to split the delicate rice grains.
I find that the best way to reheat leftover risotto is to place the amount you want into a small pot and reheat at low temperature with the lid on. This way, the steam is trapped in the pot and helps to preserve all that luscious creaminess. Another good tip is to keep some boiling water on hand, which you can add a few tablespoons to the leftover risotto if it’s looking a little clumpy or dry.
OVEN BAKED FRENCH ONION RISOTTO RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 yellow onions
- 1 generous cup Arborio rice
- 3 cups hot beef broth or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- chopped parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
- Peel and thinly slice the onions. Try to cut them as thin as possible, a mandolin slicer, sharp knife or food processor blade attachment works nicely.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the thinly sliced onions and reduce the heat down to medium, stirring occasionally until the onions turn a deep brown, around 30-45 minutes. This part can take a little while, so be patient and resist turning the heat up, the flavor of burnt onions cannot be saved.
- Once the onions are caramelized, add in the Arborio rice and salt, and toast the rice for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour the rice and onion mixture into a 8″x12″ baking dish or an oven proof Dutch oven.
- Working quickly, pour the hot beef broth over the rice and onion mixture and give the rice a stir.
- Gently shake the baking dish to level out the rice and cover the dish tightly with foil. If using a Dutch oven, cover with the lid.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the rice is tender and the broth has been all but absorbed.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese until a creamy texture is formed. If the rice seems a little too dry, try adding in a small ladleful of hot beef broth while stirring until the preferred texture is achieved.
- Top with parsley and serve piping hot.
IF YOU LIKE THIS RISOTTO, TRY THESE OTHER EASY DATE NIGHT RECIPES:
- STEAMED NEW ZEALAND GREEN SHELLED MUSSELS
- SERRANO AND LIME SMOKED SALMON CRUDO
- CREAMY ROTELLE WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS AND GOAT CHEESE
- THAI GREEN CURRY WITH CHICKEN, EGGPLANT AND OYSTER MUSHROOMS
Oven Baked French Onion Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 yellow onions
- 1 generous cup Arborio rice
- 3 cups hot beef broth or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- chopped parsley
Instructions
- Peel and thinly slice the onions. Try to cut them as thin as possible, a mandolin slicer, sharp knife or food processor blade attachment works nicely.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the thinly sliced onions and reduce the heat down to medium, stirring occasionally until the onions turn a deep brown, around 30-45 minutes. This part can take a little while, so be patient and resist turning the heat up, the flavor of burnt onions cannot be saved.
- Once the onions are caramelized, add in the Arborio rice and salt, and toast the rice for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour the rice and onion mixture into a 8"x12" baking dish or an oven proof Dutch oven.
- Working quickly, pour the hot beef broth over the rice and onion mixture and give the rice a stir.
- Gently shake the baking dish to level out the rice and cover the dish tightly with foil. If using a Dutch oven, cover with the lid.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the rice is tender and the broth has been all but absorbed.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese until a creamy texture is formed. If the rice seems a little too dry, try adding in a small ladleful of hot beef broth while stirring until the preferred texture is achieved.
- Top with parsley and serve piping hot.
