Delicious Beer and Cheddar Risotto Recipe with Bacon (2024)

Beer and cheddar Risotto with bacon is my gluten free answer to mac n cheese. I was in the mood for mac n cheese, but man, I don't love the texture of gluten free pasta. But I do love risotto. So, just like that, a new side dish for my dinner menu was born.

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What to Expect From Beer and Cheddar Risotto

Beer and Four Cheese Risotto combines the complex flavors of beer and a salty bite of sharp cheddar cheese with crispy and flavorful bacon.

So, a traditional risotto is arborio rice cooked with white wine, chicken stock, and finished with cream and parmesan cheese. I love risotto rice for its comfort food feel. There are so many ways to adjust the flavor- we can make this recipe very traditional, fancy, or a one pot meal for an easy weeknight meal.

How to Make Risotto

I think risotto can be a little intimidating, but it just takes practice. It's actually one of my favorite one pot meals. Especially myChicken Marsala Risotto. The cooking process involves adding scoops of the warm chicken broth, stirring, watching, and adding more broth until the arborio rice is cooked to a perfect al dente. Repeat. IT JUST TAKES PRACTICE. Once you learn the ideal heat setting and get a feel for how quickly the stock is absorbed by the rice, it will truly be a breeze.

With any risotto recipe, we start by sautéing yellow onion over medium heat until it is soft and translucent. Then, add your arborio rice and toast that for a couple minutes. The third step is to add the alcohol. Traditionally, this is white wine but in this case we using a beer.

After the beer has been absorbed by the rice, you'll add the warm chicken broth in batches. Lastly, finish the whole dish off with shredded cheese, half n half, and crispy bacon.

Risotto Ingredients

• 1cupArborio rice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup beer- I go for a gluten free lager, but you can also use pale ales if you have a favorite
• 1 small onion
• 3-4 cups hotchicken stock
• ½cuphalf and half
• 1cupshredded cheese
• 4 slices bacon - diced into small pieces
• ½tspsalt
• ½tspblack pepper

How to Cook Beer and Cheddar Risotto Step-by-Step

• In a large heavy pot, preheat to medium high heat to cook our bacon. After the bacon is cooked and crispy, use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon and set it aside on a paper towel. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease and save it in the pot that you will cook the risotto in.
• Add the butter with the bacon fat and stir to coat the pot. Once the butter has melted, add the minced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• While the onion cooks, use a separate medium saucepan to heat 3-4 cups of chicken stock to a gentle simmer. It does not need to boil. Keep the stock on medium-low heat.
• After the onion has cooked, add 1 cup of Arborio rice to the pot with the butter and stir to coat the rice completely. Toast for 2 minutes.
• Now you can add the ½ cup of beer. Stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice and the alcohol has cooked off.
• Add 1 cup of hot chicken stock to the rice and stir well. The rice and stock should be at a low bubble. Keep an eye on it and stir as needed. Each time the stock is fully absorbed by the rice and the pot does not have standing liquid in it, add a cup of chicken stock and repeat the process, stirring occasionally.
• As the rice cooks, starch will be released, creating a glossy shine around the edges of the pot. After the 3rd cup of stock has been absorbed, test a little bit of the rice to see if it is cooked through. If it’s not, add another ½ cup of stock and continue the cooking the process.
• When the rice is fully cooked, turn off the heat. Add the Half and Half, salt and pepper. Stir it in and notice the thickness. It should be pretty loose.
• Add the cheese and cooked bacon, stir, and serve.

Make Beer and Cheddar Risotto a Meal

Often times, I want to make this bowl of beer cheese risotto into a meal. I like to add in diced chicken breast and broccoli florets so our protein and veggies are in one pot.

For the chicken, a great time saver is to either use store bought rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken that I made ahead of time.

What to Serve with Risotto

Here are some of my other favorite main dishes that I highly recommend you serve with your new favorite risotto recipe:

• Whole Roast Chicken
• Smoked Pork Tenderloin
• Smoked Tri Tip

How to Save and Reheat Leftover Beef and Cheddar Risotto

As always, save any leftover cheddar and bacon risotto in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. When you want to reheat the risotto, I like to heat it in the microwave and half power for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through. You can also use a casserole reheat setting if your microwave has that option.

While the risotto was in the refrigerator, it probably tightened up quite a bit and will not be the same creamy goodness it was fresh out of the pot. Add about a tablespoon of half n half if you want to breath some new life into your leftovers.

Other Risotto Recipes That I Love

• Cacio e Pepe Risotto
• Chicken Marsala Risotto

Beer and Cheddar Risotto with Bacon Recipe Card