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    Home » Blog posts by Rosanna ETC » Food

    Spring Vegetable Risotto With Asparagus & Peas

    Published: Apr 20, 2023 by Rosanna Stevens · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    A simple yet delicious Spring vegetable risotto with asparagus and peas is on all my dinner party menus at this time of year. The smooth and creamy risotto contrasts so beautifully with al dente asparagus, sugar snap peas, and petit pois and is finished off with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, fresh mint, and a squeeze of lemon.

    Spring vegetable risotto with asparagus and peas on a plate.
    Jump to:
    • Why you should serve Spring vegetable risotto
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Expert tips for a perfect creamy risotto (without cream)
    • Asparagus and pea risotto wine pairing
    • Serving suggestions
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • Top tip
    • FAQ
    • Other Spring recipes
    • Side dishes
    • Recipe Card

    Why you should serve Spring vegetable risotto

    Sometimes I like to go all out and impress guests with something complex and fancy when I'm hosting. But at other times, I like to serve simpler, easier-to-make dishes that use seasonal ingredients and just let them shine.

    But what makes this Spring pea and asparagus risotto easy is the fact that you can do all the (minimal) prep ahead of time, and then it's super simple to throw together at the last minute. If I'm making this recipe for a dinner party, I'll serve drinks and canapes in the kitchen so that guests can keep me company as I whip it up.

    A bowl of risotto with asparagus, peas and parmesan and lemon on the side.

    My salmon en route with dill cream sauce is another elegant entree for dinner parties that I love to serve in Spring.

    Ingredients

    As with all Italian recipes, the quality of the ingredients is vital. But the best risotto recipe can be made from very basic pantry staples, and there's no fancy equipment either.

    Ingredients for Spring risotto. Asparagus, peas, sugar snap peas, lemon, rice, broth, wine, parmesan cheese and mint on a worktop.

    Risotto with asparagus and peas ingredients

    1. Shallot: Shallots are naturally sweet and delicate in flavor, so I prefer using them to onions in risotto. They also make a great dish in themselves, like these sticky caramelized balsamic shallots.
    2. Risotto rice: There are several types of risotto rice, but for this recipe, the best rice for risotto is arborio or carnaroli. Risotto rice is short grain rice with high starch levels and can absorb a lot of water without disintegrating. The starch is what makes risotto creamy, and as such, a traditional risotto recipe would not usually contain cream.
    3. White wine: An Italian white wine will work best, for example, a Pinot Grigio. The alcohol content is cooked off so only the flavor remains, and the liquid is absorbed into the rice. The wine needs to be at room temperature.
    4. Chicken broth: I prefer to use good quality, low sodium chicken broth for risotto as it gives depth to the dish, but you can use vegetable broth if you prefer. Veal broth would be another option, but beef, lamb, or fish broth will have too strong a flavor. The broth (stock) for risotto needs to be hot. You can use vegetable broth to make this a vegetarian asparagus and pea risotto recipe.
    5. Asparagus spears: Fresh green asparagus spears are in season in Spring, and this is when they will have the best flavor. Trim any thick, woody parts from the base of the stalk. You can use white asparagus if you prefer.
    6. Sugar snap peas: Sugar snaps have a nice bite to them, and we want to retain this, so we only blanch them before adding them to the risotto. If you cannot find sugar snap peas, you can use snow peas (Mangetout) instead.
    7. Peas: Petit pois (petite peas) or garden peas are fine, and you can use fresh peas, canned peas, or frozen peas for this Spring risotto recipe.
    8. Butter: I use unsalted European-style butter in all my recipes. As an alternative, you can use olive oil.

    Serving garnish

    1. Parmesan cheese: Salty and nutty, freshly grated parmesan cheese makes a great addition to most Italian recipes. You could also use another hard Italian cheese like Pecorino or Grana Padano.
    2. Mint: Fresh mint leaves lend the ultimate Spring flavor to this dish, don't skip it!
    3. Lemon: A squeeze of lemon juice just before serving really lifts all the flavors and adds an amazing freshness. For even more, add the lemon zest too.
    4. Pea shoots (optional): I like adding pea shoots as a garnish, but you can leave them out as they can be hard to find in grocery stores!
    5. Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

    See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step instructions on how to make Spring Vegetable Risotto With Asparagus & Peas.

    Instructions

    Mis en place

    1. Prepare the Spring vegetables. Dice the shallot, and slice the sugar snap peas on a diagonal into three smaller pieces. Trim any woody ends from the asparagus spears and slice them on a diagonal into 1-inch pieces.
    2. Blanch the asparagus and peas in a saucepan of boiling salted water. Add the sugar snap peas first for 1 minute, then add the asparagus for a further 2 minutes, and finally add the peas for a final 1 minute (4 minutes total). Drain and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water to halt the cooking process. Do not overcook.
    3. Heat the broth. We want to keep the risotto cooking temperature even, so do not add cold or even room-temperature broth. It doesn't need to be boiling, but heat it in a saucepan until it reaches a steaming point and then turn it down to low.

    Chef's prepping tip

    If you are making this asparagus, pea, and mint risotto for a dinner party, measure out all the ingredients and do steps 1 and 2 earlier in the day. Store the prepped veg and shallot in separate air-tight containers with a damp piece of kitchen paper on top to prevent them from drying out. Then 30 minutes before service time, heat the broth and move on the steps below. In the interim period, why not make some elegant petit fours like Ferrero rocher macarons to serve with coffee?

    How to make perfect risotto

    1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven on the stovetop until it stops crackling, and then saute the diced shallot in butter until translucent.
    2. Stir in the risotto rice and allow it to toast for a minute in the butter and shallot.
    3. Pour in the room-temperature white wine and stir it through the rice until it is 80% absorbed, keeping it moving so that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and form a crust.
    A pan containing risotto rice and liquid.

    Add the hot chicken broth one ladle full at a time. Continue to stir over medium heat as the rice absorbs the new liquid, then add another ladle.

    A pan showing risotto rice having absorbed liquid.

    Repeat until the rice swells and becomes opaque white, and is just tender to taste, with a very small amount of bite still left.

    A pan containing risotto with Spring vegetables including asparagus and peas.

    Add the cooked Spring vegetables and half a ladle of broth to the risotto and bring them up to temperature for a couple of minutes.

    A plate of Spring vegetable risotto with asparagus and peas, and a knife and fork on a table.

    Turn off the heat and stir through a few teaspoons grated parmesan cheese, fresh mint, and lemon juice before serving. Season to taste.

    Expert tips for a perfect creamy risotto (without cream)

    1. Don't rinse the rice: Starch is the key ingredient, and if you rinse the rice you'll lose some of it. As the rice cooks and absorbs the wine and chicken stock, it releases starch, and this gives it a thick and creamy consistency.
    2. Don't add cold broth: We need the rice to cook evenly and maintain a constant temperature, and adding cold ladles of broth to the mix will play havoc with this. Keep it hot, either in a saucepan on low heat or in a thermos.
    3. Don't forget to stir: The rice grains need to rub up against each other to release starch, and also, if you completely leave it alone, it will form a crust on the bottom and sides of the pan (similar to a paella), which we don't want. It needs to be gently moved around the pan as it cooks, but don't overdo it, or it can become gluey. Imagine an Italian Nonna having a chat at the same time as absentmindedly stirring; this is the vibe we're after.
    Risotto with asparagus and peas in a bowl with parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.

    Asparagus and pea risotto wine pairing

    A white wine from Northern Italy, like a Gavi or Soave, or even Pinot Grigio, is the perfect wine pairing for asparagus and peas risotto. This dish will need something light and acidic to cut through it, and pairing by location is always a safe bet. Risotto originates from Northern Italy, hence why I'd serve one of these options.

    For more food and wine pairing tips check out my basic guide and nail it every time.

    Serving suggestions

    1. Prosciutto: Serve with shards of crispy prosciutto, or melt a couple of teaspoons unsalted butter into the Spring risotto right before serving.
    2. Salad: I love serving risotto with a crisp herb salad and tasty vinaigrette dressing.
    3. Bread: Who doesn't love mopping up the plate?
    4. Vegan: Use vegetable stock and vegan parmesan to make this dish plant-based. I often make this risotto with asparagus and peas this way for dinner parties, and if I have a vegan guest, I'll keep the parmesan on the side for other guests to add themselves.

    Love asparagus recipes? Try my asparagus mousse amuse bouche appetizer. And my rhubarb pistachio pavlova is a wonderful Spring dessert to serve afterward.

    Equipment

    You will need a pan with good heat distribution to make risotto. I often use either one of my Le Creuset Dutch oven/casserole dishes or my 360 Cookware pan, depending on how many portions I'm making. It's so easy to scale up this recipe to serve more people, but be mindful that you'll need a bigger pot! This is an excellent recipe for Spring dinner parties.

    I exclusively use a rubber spatula to cook risotto; it allows me to stir constantly with no fear of scratching the pan or missing any stubborn clumps of rice stuck to the bottom or corners.

    I like to cook risotto with a smaller saucepan containing the hot broth on the stove next to my risotto pan, with a ladle that lets you easily add more liquid in measured amounts is also vital.

    I use Robert Welch knives. They're great value and great quality.

    Storage

    Store any leftover risotto in the fridge; it will last 2-3 days. To reheat risotto, place it in a saucepan on the stove with a splash of water and gently bring it back up to temperature until it's bubbling. Alternatively, place it in a microwave-safe container and reheat it that way.

    I don't recommend freezing asparagus, pea, and mint risotto.

    Top tip

    Keep the saucepan over medium heat, if the pan is too hot then the liquid will boil off and evaporate rather than be absorbed into the rice and you'll end up needing to keep adding more. A gentle simmer is perfect for this asparagus, pea, and lemon risotto.

    FAQ

    What is the best rice for risotto?

    The most commonly available and widely used risotto rice variety is Arborio rice. I do not recommend using brown rice for risotto.

    How much risotto rice per person?

    For an entree (main course) allow 75 grams or half a cup (US) per person.

    Can I make risotto the day before?

    Risotto is best made and eaten fresh. But sometimes I'll allow it to cool in the pan before adding one more ladle of broth and stirring that through before placing it into Tupperware and storing it in the fridge. Then the next day I'll warm it gently in the pan again before adding the lemon, herbs, and parmesan cheese.

    Other Spring recipes

    Looking for other Spring recipes like this? Try these:

    • A Rhubarb pistachio pavlova on a cake stand.
      Rhubarb Pistachio Pavlova
    • Lamb-rump-roast-being-carved-for-a-dinner-party.
      Juicy Lamb Rump Roast With Rosemary Butter
    • Asparagus mousse amuse bouche.
      Asparagus Mousse Amuse Bouche
    • Easy Salmon En Croute With Dill Cream Sauce

    Side dishes

    These are my favorite dishes to serve with Spring vegetable risotto with asparagus and peas:

    • Rainbow Carrots cooked en papillote with star anise, in a serving bowl.
      Honey Glazed Rainbow Carrots En Papillote
    • Truffle broccoli asparagus puree on a dinner plate
      Asparagus Puree with Broccoli & Truffle
    • Caramelised Balsamic Shallots
    • Soft Rosemary Focaccia With Truffle Oil

    Recipe Card

    Spring vegetable risotto with asparagus and peas on a plate.

    Spring Vegetable Risotto With Asparagus And Peas

    Delicious Spring vegetable risotto with asparagus and peas served with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, fresh mint, and lemon. The smooth and creamy risotto contrasts so beautifully with al dente asparagus, sugar snap peas, and petit pois, it's a fresh and tasty recipe for dinner parties.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 45 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4
    Calories 432 kcal

    Equipment

    • Large saucepan Dutch oven or casserole dish for stove top
    • medium saucepan For hot broth and cooking veg
    • ladle
    • spatula

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 300 grams Risotto rice eg Arborio
    • 1 Shallot
    • 750 ml Chicken broth (low sodium)
    • 250 ml Italian white wine eg Pinot Grigio
    • 150 grams Asparagus
    • 150 grams Sugar snap peas or snow peas/mangetout
    • 200 grams Petit pois or garden peas
    • 2 tablespoon Butter
    • 4 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
    • ½ Lemon
    • 2 tablespoon Mint
    • 4 tablespoon Pea shoots (optional garnish)

    Instructions
     

    • Prepare the Spring vegetables. Dice the shallot, and slice the sugar snap peas on a diagonal into three smaller pieces. Trim any woody ends from the asparagus spears and slice them on a diagonal into 1-inch pieces.
    • Cook the asparagus and peas in a saucepan of boiling salted water. Add the sugar snap peas first for 1 minute, then add the asparagus for a further 2 minutes, and finally add the peas for a final minute. Drain and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water to halt the cooking process.
    • Melt butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven on the stovetop until it stops crackling, and then saute the diced shallot in butter until translucent. Stir in the risotto rice and allow it to toast for a minute in the butter and shallot.
    • Pour in the white wine and stir it through the rice until 80% absorbed, keeping it moving so that the rice absorbs the liquid and doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and form a crust.
    • Add the hot chicken broth one ladle full at a time. Continue to stir over medium heat as the rice absorbs the new liquid, then add another ladle. Repeat until the rice is opaque white and no longer translucent, and tender to taste whilst still retaining a small amount of bite.
    • Stir through the cooked Spring vegetables and half a ladle of broth and bring them up to temperature for another couple of minutes.
    • Turn off the heat and stir through a few teaspoons grated parmesan cheese and fresh mint. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

    Notes

    You may need slightly less or slightly more broth. If you think you will need slightly more liquid, add more hot water to your pan of broth to water it down slightly. Do not add cold water to a risotto. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 432kcalCarbohydrates: 77gProtein: 14gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 792mgPotassium: 477mgFiber: 8gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1298IUVitamin C: 63mgCalcium: 133mgIron: 6mg
    Keyword Asparagus pea and mint risotto, risotto with asparagus and peas, Spring vegetable risotto
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Comments

    1. Gina says

      April 20, 2023 at 12:06 pm

      5 stars
      This was the most delicious way to enjoy spring produce!

      Reply
    2. Erin says

      April 20, 2023 at 12:15 pm

      5 stars
      I was so excited to see asparagus at the store yesterday and then come across your recipe! This was the perfect use of my asparagus. 🙂 Super easy and filling, too! Thanks!

      Reply
    3. Amanda says

      April 20, 2023 at 12:25 pm

      5 stars
      This risotto is fabulous! It came out so rich and creamy, and I just loved the pop of flavor from the fresh mint. So delicious.

      Reply
    4. Claire says

      April 20, 2023 at 12:58 pm

      5 stars
      I always order risotto when I go out but I have never made it at home.
      I was a bit worried but your instructions were very clear and it made it easy to follow.
      I left off the mint as my hubby can’t eat mint but added some crispy prosciutto like you suggested and it was perfect!!! Restaurant food but at home! Yummy!

      Reply
    5. Shelby says

      April 20, 2023 at 1:43 pm

      5 stars
      I loved how creamy this risotto comes out and it was a great way to use up extra asparagus!

      Reply

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    Hi! I'm Rosanna, a trained chef, wine enthusiast, former event director, and style fanatic. At rosannaetc.com, I share seasonal dinner party recipes, wine pairings, and hosting tips. If you love to entertain in style, you've come to the right place!

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