Risotto is no longer reserved for special occasions and restaurants! This spring lemon risotto may require just a little more effort than usual weeknight meals, but it can still be on your table in 35 minutes. With bright citrus notes, and fresh asparagus, this lemon risotto is perfect all on its own! Pair with a simple caesar salad, and the restaurant has come home.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It tastes like it came from a restaurant! This risotto is a restaurant quality meal, at home! The creaminess will remind you of a purely decadent meal at your favourite high-end restaurant!
- It is a meatless option! You will not miss the meat in this risotto, trust me. If you do miss the meat, you can always add simple grilled chicken or shrimp.
- You can add any vegetables to this risotto! I used asparagus, but you are not limited to it. This risotto is a great way to incorporate any vegetables you have on hand.
Recipe Overview
Flavour: This lemon asparagus risotto is the perfect balance of creaminess and citrus. The lemon is not overpowering, as lemon zest gives the perfect subtle flavour to the risotto. With a pinch of red chilli flakes, you get the perfect background heat. Lemon notes are a favorite of mine, especially in my creamy chicken al limone, lemon caper pasta and lemon garlic bucatini!
Ease: Risotto is a little more labour intensive than most of the recipes you will find around here. Because risotto requires constant attention and stirring, it does require a little bit more work. This tutorial for making risotto is a great way to gauge the process.
Time: In total, this lemon risotto takes 35 minutes to be on your table.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Arborio rice: Arborio rice is a traditional short grain rice that is used for risotto. It can be found in almost all grocery stores. If not, you can likely find it in a speciality Italian store. If you do not have arborio rice, you may also use carnaroli rice, which is another traditional short grain rice. I do not recommend using long grain rices, such as jasmine or basmati. They do not have the same starch content, and will not yield the same results.
Chicken broth: I recommend using reduced sodium chicken broth, to be able to control the salt levels of your dish. If you prefer to keep this dish vegetarian, you can, of course, use vegetable stock instead.
Butter: Butter is used at the very end of cooking, to add to the creamy consistency. You can leave it out if you wish.
Parmigiano Reggiano: I highly recommend good quality, freshly grated parmigiano cheese for this risotto. Because there are so few ingredients in this dish, good quality ingredients stand out. If you do not have any on hand, you can also use some romano cheese, or asiago.
Asparagus: Asparagus is the perfect vegetable to go with the bright flavours of this risotto. If you do not have any, or it is not in season, you can use green peas or even zucchini.
Aromatics: You will need fresh garlic, onion, and lemon juice and zest. You can alternatively use shallot instead of onion. I recommend using fresh lemons, as the zest is the real essence that adds to the risotto.
Instructions
- Heat the chicken broth: In a saucepan, heat the chicken broth over medium-low heat. Be sure to keep the chicken broth warm.
- Saute or roast asparagus: On a sheet pan, roast the asparagus for 5 minutes at 375°F. You do not need to drizzle any olive oil or salt on the asparagus.
- Toast the rice: In a skillet over medium heat, sweat the onions in a tablespoon of olive oil, until translucent. Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and arborio rice and toast until golden brown.
- Ladle the chicken broth: One ladle at a time, add the chicken broth to the rice. Stir the rice constantly when you add the broth, until the liquid is absorbed. Again, this is a great resource to visualize the process. Once the liquid is absorbed, add another ladle of the chicken broth to the skillet. Repeat this process until all of the broth has been added to the rice.
- Finish the risotto: Add the lemon zest, parmigiano cheese, butter, red chilli flakes and black pepper to the risotto. Mix well, and add the roasted asparagus. Serve right away.
Expert Tip
Always trim the ends of your asparagus! Asparagus has a natural breaking point. If you bend the stalk, it will naturally break off where the asparagus is tender. Discard the tough ends. You can do each stalk individually, or you can use one stalk to roughly gauge where to cut the remaining stalks.
Recipe FAQs
You can add wine to risotto! The best time to add it, however, is before you add the first ladle of chicken broth, after the arborio rice is toasted. Let the wine cook out and absorb into the rice.
Risotto can keep in the fridge for anywhere between 4-5 days. Keep in mind that this risotto does not contain meat, which extends the storage time. Always store in an airtight container.
Risotto is supposed to be cooked to an al dente texture. This does not mean the rice should be hard, but, it should have a little bit of a bite to it. If the rice is mushy, it is actually overdone. If you find that the rice is completely crunchy, you may want. to lower the heat to allow for the liquid to absorb slower, and gain more cooking time.
You can make arancini, or fried risotto balls, with leftover risotto.
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Spring Lemon Risotto
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Arborio rice
- 5 cups Chicken broth
- 1 bunch Asparagus - cut in thirds, and sliced in half lengthwise
- 3 cloves Garlic - finely sliced
- ½ Onion - finely minced
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 1 Lemon - zested
- ½ Lemon - juiced
- ¼ cup Parmigianio Reggiano - grated
Instructions
- Heat the chicken broth: In a saucepan, heat the chicken broth over medium-low heat. Be sure to keep the chicken broth warm.
- Roast asparagus: On a sheet pan, roast the asparagus for 5 minutes at 375°F. You do not need to drizzle any olive oil or salt on the asparagus.
- Toast the rice: In a skillet over medium heat, sweat the onions in a tablespoon of olive oil, until translucent. Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and arborio rice and toast until golden brown.
- Ladle the chicken broth: One ladle at a time, add the chicken broth to the rice. Stir the rice constantly when you add the broth, until the liquid is absorbed. Once the liquid is absorbed, add another ladle of the chicken broth to the skillet. Repeat this process until all of the broth has been added to the rice.
- Finish the risotto: Add the lemon zest, parmigiano cheese, butter, red chilli flakes and black pepper to the risotto. Mix well, and add the roasted asparagus. Serve right away.
Emily says
I love risotto, but I am always reluctant to try it because it takes a little bit more effort than I am willing to put into it. This was amazing!!! Even my kids enjoyed it.