Asparagus Risotto – Creamy, cheesy homemade risotto is taken up a notch with the addition of crispy asparagus
Risotto is one of the first “fancy” dishes I learned to make. I watched a lot of Food Network growing up and risotto was regularly featured on Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis. She always presented it as a dish that was made to impress but was easier to make than it seemed.
So I decided to try my hand at the Italian dish. I made my first risotto for Mother’s Day – or maybe it was Easter – about 10 years ago. I was in college at the time but came home to celebrate one of those spring holidays. I made a mushroom risotto for the family and it tasted incredible – super creamy, cheesy, and rich.
Mushroom risotto is still one of my favorite variations however it seems most appropriate for later in the year. Instead, I have a yummy spring version of risotto to serve while the best produce is still in season.
And so I present to you – Asparagus Risotto!
The Keys to Making Risotto
Risotto is, at its core, just rice that is slowly cooked with chicken broth. That’s really all there is to it! The most complicated part of the process doesn’t require skill, but rather it requires patience.
The broth is added to the rice only a couple ladles at a time so that the rice can absorb all the liquid before the next ladle is added. This means you have to stand at the skillet, constantly stirring the rice to help it absorb the liquid without burning the bottom of the rice.
Another couple things that you’ll see in every risotto are:
- White wine – onions are cooked with the rice before any liquid is added. Then, we add white wine to deglaze the pan and remove all the brown bits from the pan before we get the whole process going.
- Parmesan cheese – every risotto is finished with a huge scoop of grated Parmesan cheese. This addition adds creaminess, no doubt. But it also adds a nutty, salty flavor to the risotto that elevates it tremendously.
The Recipe
This recipe for asparagus risotto is pretty simple. The base for the risotto is very basic – chicken broth, rice, onions, white wine, Parmesan cheese. Once the risotto is complete, we add in some blanched asparagus pieces.
Blanching asparagus just means we cook it just until it’s tender, about 2 minutes. Then, we throw it in ice water to stop the asparagus from cooking. This helps keep that bright, green color instead of turning a more dull, darker green.
Finally, the risotto is finished with a few pats of butter and a lot of Parmesan cheese.
Tips & Tricks
Risotto can seem intimidating if you’ve never made it before. But with the right preparation, you can handle it! Here are some tips to get you ready for this recipe:
- It’s very important that you use short grain rice for any risotto. This ensures that the rice gets tender and not mushy. Arborio rice is the rice traditionally used in risotto and it’s much easier to find in stores than it used to be.
- Do not worry about seasoning the risotto too much until the very end. Parmesan cheese is super salty so you may find that it adds enough seasoning and it doesn’t need much more. Remember, you can always add more salt but you can’t take any away once you’ve added it.
- Make sure you have a skillet large enough to fit all the risotto. I’ve made the mistake of using a skillet that was too small and, by the end of the recipe, the rice would almost be spilling out of the edges of the skillet.
There you have it – a great side dish (or even main dish) for you to enjoy this spring. I made this for Easter a couple weeks ago and it was a hit. It’s also a great option for Mother’s Day brunch coming up next weekend! Hope you love it!
Asparagus Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus cut into 2-inch pieces
- 5 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken broth in large saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Keep it warm until ready to use.
- Boil a large bot of salted water. Add cut asparagus and blanch for 2 minutes. Cool cooked asparagus in ice water and dry off. Set aside.
- Add olive oil to a large saute pan and place over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until they soften, about 3 minutes. Add rice and stir for 1 minute. Add white wine and stir until wine had evaporated, about 1-2 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper.
- Add two ladles of warm chicken broth to rice and stir until rice has absorbed the broth. Repeat with two more ladles of broth. Continue process until all of the broth has been absorbed by the rice. Continue adding stock two ladles at a time until all the stock has been absorbed by the risotto. Remove risotto from heat. Add cheese and butter and stir together until they've melted into the risotto. Give the risotto a taste and season, if needed.
- Add in blanched asparagus and stir until combined. Serve immediately.
Notes
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More recipes you’ll love:
Sweet Corn Risotto with Crispy Shrimp
Goat Cheese & Sweet Corn Grits
Garlic & Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
What a delicious looking risotto! Creamy and comforting, loving all the tips on how to make the best risotto.
What a lovely spring sounding risotto dish! Def inspired to make this! Thanks so much for sharing :).
The pictures look so amazing! Loving this recipe! I’ve never made risotto but this is the recipe I need to make!! This post was also so super helpful.
Your risotto looks perfect! I learned how to make it from my mamma. It’s one of those dishes that is a classic and it WOWs family and guests every time. The asparagus version is perfect for spring. I wish I had a bowl of your risotto in front of me now.
It’s asparagus season once again, and I could eat it every day especially when this risotto is involved.
This risotto looks so creamy and delicious. Love the addition of asparagus here. My mouth is watering just by looking at your clicks.
I love risotto! Yours looks so creamy and perfectly made! I can’t wait to try it!!!
This sounds so delicious and fresh! And I love all of your tips on getting a perfect risotto. I haven’t made it many times so those tips are super helpful!
I have never tried risotto before, but I bought it the other day and am so excited to try it! This might be the first recipe I make 🙂
Yum! This looks so creamy and delicious. Risotto is one of my favorite comfort foods.
I love how simple and clean the ingredients in this are, but it’s obvious that it packs a perfect punch of flavor. Right now asparagus is in season so I am totally interested in whipping this up. Great advice about blanching the asparagus and then water bathing them to keep the crisp green color!
I love risotto! And I love how you associate it with Giada because I do too
I have never found a recipe where it made me like asparagus. Until THIS recipe, of course! YUM!
Healthy meal and delicious combinations. Have to check this for my family. Looks creamy and delicious.
Your risotto looks so perfectly creamy, and I bet the contrast with the crunchy asparagus must be really nice.
Love risotto and love asparagus so this combination here is a total winner! Truly mouthwatering recipe!
Creamy? Yes. Cheesy? Yes. Homemade? Yes. Risotto just can’t get any better. Although, wait… you did make it better by adding crispy asparagus! This recipe is an absolute winner.
I love asparagus this time of year!! Looks delicious!
I love risotto, and I love asparagus too… this recipe was made for me! Looks so delicious, creamy and comforting. Perfect for winter!
I just started eating risotto and I really like it! This sounds divine. I will have to try it!
Your post was so detailed that I felt like I was there making this risotto with you! I can’t wait to make it soon. Thanks for sharing
You never cease to amaze me, Sharon! I would devour an entire POT of this risotto.
Aw thanks Marta!