Made with frozen peas, arborio rice, onion, parmesan cheese, lemon zest and vegetable broth, this risotto is cooked on the stove to perfection. The recipe uses the classic Italian technique of "risottare" where warm broth is added as the rice cooks and dries out, until it's fully cooked and creamy. Just remember to keep stirring!
Risotto is one of those things that takes a bit of effort (there's lots of stirring involved!) but it's totally worth it in the end.
It's all in the technique
Risotto uses a cooking technique called "risottare." It's where you add one ladle of warm broth to the rice, stir until most of the broth is absorbed, add another ladle, and stir again. You repeat this process until the rice is cooked. I usually do this about 5 times.
Fun fact: you can cook pasta this way too, like in pasta e piselli, pasta e fagioli, or pasta e lenticchie.
No more small talk, let's make it!
Recipe
Creamy Pea Risotto with Pea Purée
Made with frozen peas, arborio rice, onion, parmesan cheese, lemon zest and vegetable broth, this risotto is cooked on the stove to perfection. The recipe uses the classic Italian technique of "risottare" where warm broth is added as the rice cooks and dries out, until it's fully cooked and creamy. Just remember to keep stirring!
Servings 2 people
Calories 753kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- ½ cup white (or yellow) onion cut into small dice
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 3 tablespoon water
- 170 grams arborio rice
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoon parmigiano reggiano grated
- 1.5 litres warm vegetable stock approximate
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a shallow pan, over medium heat, add the olive oil. Heat through.
- Add the onion and cook until fragrant and golden in color, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add in the peas, with 3 tablespoon water. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender and just cooked through.
- Remove 1 ¼ cups of the peas and blend with an immersion blender until a smooth purée forms. Set the remaining cooked peas and the purée aside.
Make the risotto
- In a pan over medium heat, add the rice.
- Toast the rice for about 2 minutes, then add in the wine.
- Let the alcohol evaporate off (a few minutes). You will know the alcohol has evaporated off when you can't smell the alcohol anymore.
- Add in one ladle of vegetable broth. Stir often, or else the rice will stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the vegetable stock dries up, add another ladle. Keep stirring the risotto.
- Repeat the process of adding one ladle of stock and stirring until the rice is almost fully cooked. I do this about 5 times.
- When the rice has about 1 minute left of cook time, add in the pea purée and the peas. Stir. Adjust for salt and pepper.
- When the rice is cooked, remove from the heat.
- Off heat, add in the butter, parmigiano and lemon zest. Stir again.
- Plate, top with more parmigiano and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Storage and reheating:
- Risotto is best served as soon as it's made, however if you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Reheat on the stove in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Add a small amount of water if necessary
- I generally use arborio rice to make risotto, but any Italian rice will work, like carnaroli rice, or vialone nano. These are generally the 3 types of rice used to make an authentic Italian risotto.
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Pea Risotto with Pea Purée
Amount Per Serving
Calories 753
Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Trans Fat 0.5g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 14g
Cholesterol 35mg12%
Sodium 3114mg135%
Potassium 509mg15%
Carbohydrates 102g34%
Fiber 11g46%
Sugar 17g19%
Protein 17g34%
Vitamin A 3105IU62%
Vitamin C 61mg74%
Calcium 144mg14%
Iron 6mg33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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