lemony asparagus risotto

Lemony Asparagus Risotto with leeks and basil-light and creamy with vibrant color and flavor, perfect for spring! A tasty vegetarian meal, or beautiful base for fish, seafood or mushrooms!  Makes 5 cups (Serves 2-3 as a main dish, or 4-5 as a side dish)

Lemony Asparagus Risotto

asparagus

leek (or white onion, diced)

olive oil, divided

garlic cloves, rough chopped

arborio rice

white wine, optional-

basil leaves (or sub part Parsley)

lemon, zest and some juice

salt, more to taste

pepper

lemon

Read the directions all the way through so you get a general idea of things here. 🙂

Bring a small pot of water to boil on the stove to blanch asparagus.

Prep the asparagus

Cut the fibrous ends off the asparagus and discard. (You can tell where this is by breaking an end off with your fingers, usually about an inch from bottom- and using this as a guide, cut the rest to match. Toss all the fibrous ends.)  Cut the pretty tips off (about 1 1/2 inches) and set them aside.  Cut the &#8220;middles&#8221; into 1-inch pieces. Take 1 1/2 cups of the &#8220;middles&#8221; and set aside (to blanch and blend into a creamy asparagus sauce) which we will stir into the risotto at the end to give it it&#8217;s beautiful vibrant color and creamy texture. Add any remaining &#8220;middles&#8221; to the tips and keep these set aside. So you&#8217;ll have two piles of asparagus,  1 1/2 cups of the &#8220;middles&#8221;  and one with the tips and leftover middles.

BLANCH AND BLEND

In the small pot of boiling water, blanch the 1 1/2 cups of asparagus &#8220;middles&#8221; (without the tips), until tender and vibrant, about 5 minutes depending on size. Drain, but reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Blend the blanched asparagus with the 1 cup cooking liquid, 2 tablespoons oil and the basil leaves until silky smooth, either in a blender or using an immersion blender. Set this aside to add to the risotto at the end.

Start Risotto

Thinly slice leeks into half-moons, and rinsing away any dirt, strain. (Rinsing will also help soften them.) Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks and saute until softened, 5-6 minutes. Add garlic, cook 2 minutes, until fragrant.

Add arborio rice and stir to coat, one minute. Deglaze with white wine (if using) and cook the wine  off. Add 1 cup hot veggie broth, scraping up any browned bits, bring to a gentle simmer, over med-low heat stirring occasionally, letting the rice absorb the all the broth.

Continue adding the hot broth 1 cup at a time, letting the rice absorb it slowly, each time, stirring often. ***At the same time that you add the last cup of broth, add the pile of asparagus with the tips, letting them cook in the risotto 3 minutes or so. At this point, rice should be creamy yet slightly al dente.

Combine

Stir in blended asparagus-basil &#8220;sauce&#8221;, add the salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and taste. Adjust salt, pepper and lemon to taste. (Pecorino will add more depth and flavor here.)  Heat gently over low heat letting it thicken a bit if you like, but taking care not to cook too long here, or you&#8217;ll lose the vibrant color.

Divide among bowls, garnish with pecorino cheese, lemon zest and chili flakes or a drizzle of the optional leek oil.

Top with a piece of roasted fish, sauteed shrimp, grilled chicken or sauteed mushrooms if you like.

Fantastic! What a wonderful spring treat. I topped with a small filet of seared Chilean sea bass. Served with a crisp Pinot Gris. Definitely company worthy! Outstanding!!!

Great recipe! I dislike asparagus but my husband loves it so I thought I’d give this one a try. Delicious! I added some pecorino and topped with pan seared salmon. Thank you for another lovely recipe !

My 20 months year old son approves. He ate a bowl with some cold smoked salmon.

Thanks for the inspiration.
Greetings from Denmark

Absolutely delicious! Served with grilled chicken. Will be a repeat for sure.

This was a big hit with the family! It tastes just like spring. The mushrooms on top were the most perfect addition.

That was amazing - thank you!
Family loved it too.
Had some salmon and baked zucchini spears with it - delicious!

Delicious.  It was my first time making risotto.  I defaulted to rinsing the rice which I found was ill advised, after the fact.  I also added all four cups of broth which made it soupy once the asparagus basil sauce was added.  I chose to serve it as soup along side broiled salmon rather than risk losing the brilliant, Spring green colour. My carnivore, who avoids vegetables if at all possible, said I could make it any time.  High praise indeed.

I found this recipe looking for ideas for a food swap with a bunch of friends, all of whom are vegetarian and vegan. This recipe is perfect! It’s sssoooo tasty!! I paired it with fried mushrooms and walnuts for them, and roast salmon with lemon and basil for us.

Almost impossible to stop eating this.  Could be dangerous :-)

I use Better Than Bullion veggie paste which always adds a good taste.  It's important to follow directions and simmer the rice slowly so it takes up the liquid.  I forgot the fresh basil and used dried instead.  No doubt the fresh herb would have contributed more.  I also want to add the mushrooms next time.  Delicious recipe..  Oh, the chili flakes was a great idea as well.  Just a tad though.

Followed the instructions exactly and it turned out perfect.  Absolutely enjoyed this dish. I did include the mushrooms and chopped up fresh ginger which gave it a wonderful kick to it.  This one will be on my once per month lunch/dinner menu!

Very nice recipe. Came out very well! I wished the asparagus middles + basil mix was a bit more veggie-forward and fragrant. Added a lot of liquid, but not a lot of taste.

Yummy as always!
I made my risotto in the instant pot while I made the sauce. I ended up with a ton of leftover sauce, any ideas on what could I use it for??

Superb! Made exactly as directed with asparagus directly out of our garden. Served with the Maitake mushrooms and pine nuts as suggested. The pecorino is a must!

I just made this and it is AMAZING! Thank you for this delicious recipe!

I just made this, and wow. My only modifications - I put pecorino in the asparagus sauce directly and a lot of lemon rind for more lemonyness.
Praise to the culinary goddess Sylvie and her delicious recipe here!

My boss really love this recipe because they are vegetarian and easy to cook and affordable.

Made this tonight with salmon that was encrusted in everything bagel seasoning. It was delicious! Only change I would make next time is use half a lemon so the risotto’s garlicky asparagus can stand out more.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/yRhkVRXM.mp4

This Asparagus Risotto is lemony & creamy yet light and flavorful – delicious on its own as a vegetarian main, or a beautiful base for fish, seafood or mushrooms. Vegan-adaptable and Gluten-free. Video.

This creamy risotto is the perfect way to celebrate the spring asparagus season. Adapted from Epicurious' Lemon Risotto.

vegetable broth

butter

olive oil (divided)

shallots

dry white wine

c. Parmesan cheese

parsley

salt and pepper

Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan and then reduce heat to low.

Add 1 1/2 tablespoon of butter and oil to a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add shallots and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in rice; heat for 1 minute. Add wine and stir until absorbed, about 30 seconds.

Now it's time for the boring part! Add 1 1/2 cups of broth; simmer until absorbed, continuing to stir frequently. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time as each 1/2 cup of broth is absorbed. (So add a half cup, stir, wait for it to be absorbed, add another half cup, etc. This will take about 35 minutes.) Add asparagus pieces with the last 1/2 cup of broth.

Once all broth has been absorbed, add remaining butter, cheese, parsley, lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper (you probably won't need any salt if your broth has salt in it).

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Lemony Asparagus Risotto

Top 3 lemony asparagus risotto recipes from across the web

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Lemony Asparagus Risotto

Lemony Asparagus Risotto

Lemony Asparagus Risotto

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