Pea and Asparagus Risotto is a delicious and hearty side dish or main dish made with arborio rice, onion, garlic, fresh asparagus, peas, and cheese. This recipe is naturally gluten free and can be altered to be dairy free.
We love risotto in my home. It’s a simple yet filling side dish or main dish. Risotto is often looked at as a difficult side dish to make. One that people only order out at restaurants, yet it’s actually much easier to make then you might realize. The hardest part is the labor of “stirring” in front of the stove for a solid half hour.
I love making my Baked Risotto with Green Peas or even my Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Beet Greens. For a more complete meal I like to make my Shrimp and Scallop Risotto or my Summer Vegetable Risotto with Grilled Chicken. This recipe for Pea and Asparagus Risotto is my go-to every day risotto recipe. My hope is that if you have never made risotto you will give this easy risotto recipe a try.
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Ingredients
- Arborio Rice – A thick Italian style rice that is used to make risotto.
- Vegetable – You will need a combination of garlic, onion, asparagus, and green peas.
- Fat – A combination of olive oil and butter is used.
- Wine – I love to use white cooking wine to help flavor the dish.
- Broth – One box of low-sodium chicken broth is what you’ll need to cook this risotto dish.
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Then, add the chopped 1-inch pieces of asparagus stalks (reserving the tips). Cook for 1 minute. Then add the asparagus tips and cook an additional minute.
Once the asparagus has cooked for two minutes, strain into a colander then soak in an ice bath. Once the asparagus is chilled remove from the water and set to the side.
Combine the oil and onion in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
Meanwhile, bring the 5 cups of stock to a simmer in a saucepan.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter into the onions and garlic. Then add in the arborio rice. Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the wine and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Add ½ cup simmering stock and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, continue adding the broth, about ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently, until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy and has the texture of loose porridge, 17-20 minutes.
Once the rice is fully cooked add the cooked asparagus and green peas.
Mix well then season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with zested lemon peel and cheese. Mix well and serve.
Recipe FAQs
Here are all the frequently asked questions readers have asked when making this pea risotto recipe.
Risotto is a creamy and hearty rice dish made by using a short-grain Italian arborio rice.
Risotto is different than rice. Rice gets boiled to be cooked where risotto cooks in broth and becomes creamy as it cooks.
Risotto is not hard to make at all. It does; however, take about 20+ minutes at the stove top constantly stirring the rice to get it to the perfect creamy consistency.
Risotto can be considered a starter, side dish, or even main dish.
Risotto in the Spanish language is called “Arroz para risotto”.
Yes, you can freeze risotto. However, once you defrost it you may need to add some liquid back into it when you reheat so that it isn’t dry and clumpy.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks I’ve learned when making this recipe.
- Recipe Substitutions:
- Dairy Free Option – To make this recipe dairy free omit the butter and the grated cheese.
- Vegetarian Option – Use a a vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Chicken Broth – It is important that you use low-sodium chicken broth for this recipe. As the rice cooks it will take on all the flavors of the broth. The lemon will also intensify the saltiness flavors.
- Risotto Mixins – Looking for a different combo other then green peas and asparagus. Here are a few more suggestions:
- Mushrooms; wild, porcini, etc.
- Bacon
- Chorizo
- Leeks
- Ham
- Prawns/Shrimp
- Lobster
- Salmon
- Scallop
- Pumpkin
- Cauliflower
- Zucchini
- Tomato
What to Serve with Risotto
Wondering, what to serve with risotto? Here are a few of my favorite main dishes to serve along with my Risotto with asparagus and peas.
If you make this Pea and Asparagus Risotto recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Pea and Asparagus Risotto
Equipment
- 1 Stove Top
- 2 Stock Pots
- 1 Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus ends trimmed (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- ½ white onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 32 ounces Low sodium chicken broth
- 1-½ cups arborio rice
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup Frozen Peas thawed
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Lemon zested
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Then, add the chopped 1-inch pieces of asparagus stalks (reserving the tips). Cook for 1 minute. Then add the asparagus tips and cook an additional minute.
- Once the asparagus has cooked for two minutes, strain into a colander then soak in an ice bath. Once the asparagus is chilled remove from the water and set to the side.
- Combine the oil and onion in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Meanwhile, bring the 5 cups of stock to a simmer in a saucepan.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter into the onions and garlic. Then add in the arborio rice. Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the wine and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Add ½ cup simmering stock and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, continue adding the broth, about ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently, until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy and has the texture of loose porridge, 17-20 minutes. Once the rice is fully cooked add the cooked asparagus and green peas. Mix well then season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with zested lemon peel and cheese. Mix well and serve.
Notes
- Recipe Substitutions:
- Dairy Free Option – To make this recipe dairy free omit the butter and the grated cheese.
- Vegetarian Option – Use a a vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Chicken Broth – It is important that you use low-sodium chicken broth for this recipe. As the rice cooks it will take on all the flavors of the broth. The lemon will also intensify the saltiness flavors.
Nutrition
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