What To Serve With Mushroom Risotto-Top 50 Recipes

Last Updated on August 15, 2025 by Sabrina Currie

Sometimes mushroom risotto is a side dish, other times a main course. But no matter where it falls, here are the best recipes to serve with mushroom risotto. Salads, appetizers, vegetables, fish and shellfish, chicken, pork and beef are all here. These recipes are what to serve with mushroom risotto to compliment your favorite risotto recipe.

I love creamy mushroom risotto. This creamy Italian rice dish is salted with parmesan, a hint of acidity from white wine or lemon juice and loaded with tasty mushrooms. Slowly cooked in hot broth (chicken, veggie or seafood usually) until al dente, it gets most of it's creaminess from frequent stirring as it slowly simmers.

These are some of the best side dishes out there that will truly compliment an earthy yet luxurious mushroom risotto.

Bread

Fresh bread is a warm and delicious blank canvas. Top it with pesto or bruschetta and use it to swipe the last bits of creamy mushroom risotto from your bowl. There are lots of different ways to enjoy bread, just choose your favorite!

How to Make Artisan Ciabatta Bread

Ciabatta is a rustic Italian bread that tastes so amazing when warm and homemade. It is simple to make and requires several steps but worth it.

Ciabatta Bread

Fast and Easy Rosemary No Knead Bread

Homemade bread with one bowl and one measuring cup to wash. The bread comes out easily from the pot and there is no oil so you should be able to wipe it out with a dry tea towel and you're all done!

Rosemary No-Knead Bread

Easy Homemade Baguette Recipe

This Easy Baguette Recipe has the perfect texture and flavor. Chewy and crusty on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside.

Homemade Baguette

Antipasti

Risotto is a classic Italian recipe that lends itself to so many variations. In the spirit of Italy, serve a light appetizer or antipasti before your mushroom risotto. Here are a few Italian great appetizers that are light and bright and will get your taste buds excited.

Warm Marinated Olives

Easy, sophisticated, fragrant and comforting, a warm dish of olives is the perfect small bite with an aperitif or as part of a larger grazing board. Mixed olives, citrus zest, herbs and spices come together to make this Italian happy hour favourite. The best thing about this is how fast and easy it is!

Warm Olives

Salmon Crudo

Delicious raw salmon recipe with flavors of herbs, lemon and orange, topped with pickled shallots. A fast and impressive appetizer for a large or small group.

Salmon Crudo

Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms with Ricotta and Spinach

These vegan stuffed mushrooms are a delicious gluten-free appetizer perfect for entertaining packed with umami flavor and plant-based protein

Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

Oysters Mornay (Baked Oysters With Cheese)

Briny, sweet oysters broiled with creamy French Mornay sauce. An easy, cheesy, and delicious recipe that takes just 30 minutes or less and only uses 9 simple ingredients!

Oysters Mornay

Zucchini Cheddar Fritters

Yummy and kid-friendly, these are healthy (Eggs and Zucchini) and so quick to whip up! Serve with Herbed Yogurt Dip, Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Ketchup or a simple store bought marinara sauce for dipping or even just a squish of fresh lemon. 

Zucchini Fritters

Insalata

Creamy mushroom and parmesan risotto welcomes a fresh, light salad. From a simple green salad to flavorful salads with nuts, fruit and prosciutto, these are all tasty side dishes that pair well with a good risotto.

Fig and Prosciutto Salad

Delicious, healthy and quick to put together.  Serve with toasted baguette slices brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. 

Fresh Fig Salad

Courgette Salad with Fennel and Citrus

This easy to make, refreshing Courgette Salad is not only a plant based friendly salad, it is also perfect for the warmer months.

Courgette Salad with Fennel and Citrus

Raw Courgette Ribbon Salad with Honey & Earl Grey Dressing

Summery, zingy, healthy and nutritious, our Raw Courgette Ribbon Salad with Spinach is drizzled with Earl Grey and Honey Dressing! Delicious!

Raw Courgette Ribbon Salad

Prosciutto Melon Salad with Mozzarella and Arugula

This Prosciutto Melon Salad with Mozzarella and Arugula is a fresh Italian salad recipe filled with cantaloupe, ham, and cheese.

Prosciutto Melon Salad

Zucchini Feta Salad With Hazelnuts (Courgette Salad)

A light and refreshing salad that looks and tastes like summer! Thin zucchini (courgette) has a wonderful texture that compliments the carnaroli rice in a traditional risotto. Lemon zest and feta cheese add big, bold and bright flavors for an exciting side salad.

Zucchini Feta Salad

Italian Rocket (Arugula) + Pear Salad

Sweet and salty, soft and crunchy, this pear and arugula salad has a ton of flavor and texture from Asian pear, blue cheese, walnuts and spicy rocket. Easily a main course or a side dish.

Rocket + Pear Salad

Burrata Caprese (Burrata Tomato Salad)

Burrata caprese is delicious twist on a classic caprese salad that you are going to want to eat on repeat all summer long! With fresh, runny and luxurious burrata cheese as the star, the creaminess compliments the creamy texture of the arborio rice. An easy and classic Italian salad that pairs perfectly with mushroom risotto.

Burrata Caprese

Panzanella Toscana salad

Panzanella Toscana is a delicious, filling and rather unique salad. It combines the distinct flavours of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and basil with cubes of golden, toasted bread. This salad is a perfect side dish to sauteed mushroom risotto.

Panzanella Toscana salad

Vegetable Sides

Serve up a great veggie side dish for added texture and take your risotto dinner to the next level. Risotto and veggies make a satisfying a vegetarian meal or add one of the carne main courses below for a 3 course complete meal.

Roasted Zucchini with Parmesan

This roasted zucchini recipe is so delicious and so easy to make. Ready in about 20 minutes, fresh zucchini squash is tossed with olive oil, simple seasonings, and grated parmesan cheese then roasted in the oven until tender. The crispy texture makes a great contrast to the creamy rice dish.

Roasted Zucchini

Stuffed courgettes with three cheeses

These herby stuffed courgettes (zucchini) are delectably cheesy with a crispy golden top. Bland has been banned!

Stuffed courgettes

Truffle-Marinated Asparagus

This is a Sunday afternoon indulgence. Wonderful fresh asparagus blanched and then marinated in white truffle oil and balsamic. Very simple but amazing flavour. Great with some sour dough and some aged parmesan cheese alongside mushroom or chicken risotto.

Truffle-Marinated Asparagus

Roasted Cauliflower With Tahini

This roasted cauliflower with tahini is served over a bed of homemade tahini sauce and is the perfect delicious and healthy side dish or appetizer that anyone will love!

Roasted Cauliflower

Smothered Green Beans

String beans are a classic and these smothered green beans with bacon are an easy side dish with tons of flavor! All you need is 6 ingredients and a few minutes of prep time. Crispy, salty green beans are perfect with a delicious bowl of risotto.

Green Beans

Sautéed Leeks + Peas

Sweet and delicious, sautéed leeks and peas are a great way to enjoy extra veggies. Easy to make, ready in 15 minutes.

Leeks + Peas

Roasted Cabbage Steaks

These roasted cabbage steaks are a quick and delicious side dish made with cabbage slices, topped with olive oil and spices.

Roasted Cabbage Steaks

Lemon Garlic Spinach

Lemon garlic spinach is a super quick and healthy side. We use plenty of garlic and brighten it up with tangy lemon for a flavor packed dish.

Lemon Garlic Spinach

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Roasted tomatoes are super easy to make in the oven and are full of delicious flavor! Also, these oven roasted tomatoes only take about 5 minutes to prepare.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Seafood

Seafood is often a main dish with creamy risotto, especially in the Southern coastal towns of Italy. The light textures and flavors or seafood go well with delicate, earthy mushroom risotto and is one of my personal favorite pairings.

Baked Swordfish Recipe with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce

This is the best swordfish recipe out there. Hands down. This baked swordfish recipe is so easy, creamy, garlicky, and just bursting with bright lemon flavor! It all comes together in about 25 minutes and is sure to be a new family favorite.

Swordfish With Cream Sauce

Pan Seared Salmon In A Cast Iron Skillet

The best way to cook salmon is in a cast iron skillet! This version uses the stovetop and broiler with dill seasoning.

Cast Iron Seared Salmon

Miso Roasted Salmon

This bright lemony recipe adds a delicious glaze to a freshly caught salmon. Bake at high heat in the BBQ or the oven to get it bubbly and lightly browned on top. This recipe makes enough for one whole fish which is 2 fillets.

Miso Roasted Salmon

Baby Octopus Recipe

This baby octopus recipe is so delicious and easy to make! Cooked to perfection, you'll be amazed at how fast, flavorful and tender it is.

Baby Octopus

Crispy Fried Fish

Delicious and easy Japanese style crispy cod (or other white fish) recipe. This takes only 5 ingredients and less than 30 minutes to make! Serve with quick homemade katsu sauce or use store-bought tonkatsu sauce.

Crispy Fried Fish

Easy Grilled Prawns With Garlic And Parsley Butter

Delicious and easy, these large size shrimp are perfect to toss on the grill, basting a few times with garlic butter and herbs, then served on a platter with lots of napkins for your guests to eat, shelling them as they go.

Garlic Grilled Prawns

Healthy French Asparagus And Tuna Salad Without Mayo

Thinly sliced fresh rare tuna over crisp veggies and a runny egg topped with capers and a crazy good French style Nicoise dressing. This salad is a perfect meal any time of year. This serves 2 as a main course or 4 as an appetizer or side salad.

Rare Tuna Nicoise

Mediterranean Baked Cod

Fish is always a good choice for a healthy Protein based dinner. Check out my tasty cod recipe for tips and tricks on how to cook it.

Mediterranean Baked Cod

Perfectly Baked Salmon

Basic, easy instructions for a perfectly baked salmon fillet. I've used fresh BC Sockeye Salmon but this will work with any, just adjust the cooking time; less for a smaller fish and a little more for a bigger fish. This is great hot out of the oven for dinner serve over top of creamy risotto.

Baked Salmon

Orange Roughy Fish Fillet (Pan Fried, Baked, or Broiled!)

What's the best way to cook orange roughy? I made three orange roughy recipes: pan fried, baked, and broiled.

Orange Roughy

Chicken

Chicken is an easy dish for a dinner party and often a crowd favorite. Go for a Mediterranean or Italian recipe, crispy chicken thighs or cast iron skillet chicken with fresh herbs, chicken broth and cream. All of these great options will add rich flavor to your risotto recipe.

Roasted Lemon Chicken

This roasted lemon chicken, or pollo a limone, is a classic Italian recipe that makes the juiciest and most flavorful chicken.

Roasted Lemon Chicken

Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast with Garlic Herb Butter

This cast iron skillet chicken is super easy to make, perfectly seasoned golden brown chicken that is tender and juicy and goes perfect with any side dish!

Skillet Chicken Breasts

Garlic Chicken Piccata

It's an Italian classic for the garlic lover. This homemade Garlic Chicken Piccata is easy enough to make on a weeknight but fancy enough for company!

Chicken Piccata

Greek Chicken Thighs

Easy Greek chicken thighs with honey lemon marinade that is out of this world! Gluten free chicken bites, done in 30 minutes.

Greek Chicken Thighs

Chicken Tenders With Lemon Garlic Butter

Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Tenders are ready to serve in 15 minutes. You will love this versatile and flavorful chicken tenders recipe.

Chicken Tenders With Lemon Garlic Butter

Chicken Marsala Meatballs

These chicken marsala meatballs have all the flavors of chicken marsala rolled into a meatball. Use for dinner or an appetizer.

Chicken Marsala Meatballs

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with crispy bacon on the outside and moist and tender chicken in the middle. Perfect for your next family meal.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Parmesan Breaded Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

You'll love these delicious Air Fryer Chicken Tenders! Making Parmesan crusted chicken tenders in air fryer is so fast and easy.

Chicken Tenders

Pork

Pork is another great pairing idea for risotto ai funghi. Try some crispy, Southern fried pork chops or luxurious bacon wrapped pork tenderloin for some big, bold flavor and texture.

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin Recipe + Temperature Chart

Sous vide is the very best way to cook pork tenderloin EVERY time! Serve up juicy and tender pork tenderloin seasoned as it is or make blackberry bbq sauce to drizzle over or baste during a quick sear on the grill. See post above for printable sous vide chart.

Juicy Pork Tenderloin

Southern Fried Pork Chops

These Southern Fried Pork Chops are so easy to make and full of flavor. Comfort food at its finest. Pork chops lightly seasoned and fried to a golden brown.

Southern Fried Pork Chops

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Unbelievably delicious pork tenderloin smothered in Dijon mustard, honey, and fresh garlic, wrapped in bacon, drizzled with a bit of honey and roasted to perfection.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Beef

In Italian cuisine, beef is considered a luxury. Often only gracing the dinner table on Sunday night or special occasions. Whether you choose a perfect prime rib or roast beef, a char grilled steak or some special meatballs, these recipes are an excellent option for a special occasion.

Melt In Your Mouth Roast Beef

This is the most tender roast beef recipe you've ever had. And so easy to make! I know cooking a whole roast beef can sound intimidating, but trust me, it couldn't be easier! I'll walk you through all of the steps to make it as simple as possible. This recipe on how to cook melt

Roast Beef

Grilled Ribeyes Basted in Herbed Garlic Butter

The last grilled ribeyes recipe you'll ever need. The steaks start on the grill and finish in a cast-iron pan basted in herbed garlic butter.

Butter Basted Grilled Ribeye Steaks

Grilled Steak with Beer Marinade and Salsa Fresca

The best way to add flavour to your grilled steaks is with a classic beer steak marinade. This recipe features the delicious combination of Old Flame craft beer and balsamic vinegar to tenderize the meat and boost the flavour.

Grilled Steak

Cheese stuffed meatballs recipe with mortadella

Easy mortadella salami and cheese stuffed meatballs recipe cooked in a delicious tomatoes sauce. A perfect Italian dish for your weeknight.

Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

Tips For Making Perfect Risotto

Risotto is a creamy and flavorful dish that is perfect for any occasion and adding grocery store white mushrooms or wild mushrooms makes it even better. Here are some of my top tips for making the best homemade risotto.

1. Use a good short grain rice. Arborio rice is the most commonly used rice for making risotto, but there are other types of rice too. Carnaroli rice and Vialone Nano rice are also great choices for making risotto. These types of rice have a high starch content, which helps to create the creamy consistency that is characteristic of risotto.
2. Toast the rice before adding the liquid. This step helps to bring out the nutty flavor of the rice and gives the dish a deeper flavor. To toast the rice, simply add it to your pan with the butter or olive oil and sauteed mushrooms and aromatics. Cook it over medium heat until it becomes slightly translucent before starting to add the broth.
3. Add the liquid slowly. You should add the liquid one ladleful at a time, stirring frequently until the liquid is absorbed before adding more. This slow process helps release the starch from the rice, which creates the characteristic creamy consistency of risotto.
4. Add parmesan cheese and herbs at the end of the cooking process. The fresh flavors of these ingredients stay vibrant and add a richness that is hard to beat.

What To Drink With Risotto

Finally, serve up a complimentary drink to finish off your favorite mushroom risotto recipe. Pair up your risotto with a fabulous drink.

Something dry and crisp like a Sauvignon blanc or unoaked Chardonnay or grassy Vinho Verde are all great picks. If you like a red, a bright and light Valpolicella or Pinot Noir work well.

For a non-alcoholic pairing, soda with a lemon twist or non-alcoholic beer are great pairings.

Related Recipes

I hope I've helped you figure out what to serve with mushroom risotto with these delicious recipes. Let me know below if you find a new favorite or if I've missed one of your favorite pairings.

If you have any questions or comments, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. I try to answer any recipe related questions quickly as I know you might be in the middle of making it.

Also check out my FREE PRINTABLE meal planner to make menu planning and grocery shopping a breeze and my shopping guide. And if you like this recipe, I would love it if you give it a star rating in the recipe card.

Cheers and happy cooking, Friends! Sabrina