This Spring Vegetable Risotto with Creamy Pesto is creamy, cheesy and totally moreish! A vegetarian recipe that meat eaters will devour too!
Ok, we're in the veggie swing and the days are getting warmer! We need light dinners with lots of green and plenty of flavour. Even more so because our trip to Florida is coming up fast and I want to feel healthy and energised - rather than completely shattered.
Do you ever find that when you go on holiday? Running around like an idiot, trying to get everything done, and the moment you can relax, you get a cold/headache or just need to sleep for 10 hours straight!
I used to worry, thinking I should be getting up early on holiday, so we can get in as many activities as possible - but now? I'm all about the holiday lie in.
It's got to be at least a 35:65 ratio of lie-ins to early-start-activity-days. Personally I'd go with a lie in every day and just stay up late every night, but Chris and the kids won't let me get away with it.
Let's talk risotto. Another vegetarian recipe that those meat-eaters will devour - without the need for bacon!
Creamy risotto, topped with asparagus, mangetout, tomatoes and radishes, then finished off with creme fraiche and pesto. Soooo good!
If there's anything in the world that makes me feel like a grown up (says the 38 year old woman) it's slowly stirring a risotto with a glass of wine in hand. Makes me feel quite Nigella-ish!!
Add whatever veggies you fancy - tenderstem broccoli, peas, leeks, spring greens - all work perfectly.
This for dinner, and my avocado breakfast bowl for brunch (have you seen my recipe video for it yet?) will make you feel amazing!
The Spring Vegetable Risotto with Creamy Pesto Recipe:
Spring Vegetable Risotto with Creamy Pesto
Ingredients
The Risotto:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion - peeled and chopped finely
- 1 clove garlic - peeled and crushed
- 150 g arborio rice
- 80 ml white wine (optional, replace with stock if you'd prefer)
- 600 ml hot vegetable stock (use bouillon for gluten free)
- 12 stalks of asparagus - trimmed
- 75 g mangetout
- 30 g parmesan (use Italian-style vegetarian hard cheese for a vegetarian version), grated
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- Good pinch of salt and black pepper
- Large handful of fresh baby leaves
To Serve:
- 8 cherry/grape tomatoes - sliced in half
- 2 radishes - sliced thinly
- 2 heaped tbsp crème fraiche
- 2 heaped tsp vegetarian pesto
- 5 sprigs parsley - roughly torn
- Freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to go translucent. Add in the garlic, stir and cook for a further minute.
- Add in the rice and stir until the oil has coated the rice. Add in the wine and stir. Wait for the wine to almost fully absorb (stirring regularly) and then add the stock a ladle at a time - ensuring each ladle has almost fully absorbed before adding the next. Ensure you stir regularly.
- After about 15 minutes you should have 1 or 2 ladles of stock left. At this point, add in the asparagus and mangetout. Stir and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes, adding the rest of the stock a ladle at a time.
- Add in all but one tbsp of the parmesan, the lemon juice and salt & pepper. Give everything a good stir then turn off the heat. Stir through the mixed baby leaves, then divide the risotto between 2 or 3 plates. Top with tomatoes and radishes then spoon on the crème fraiche, followed by the pesto. Sprinkle on the remaining parmesan, along with the fresh parsley and some ground black pepper. Serve immediately.
✎ Notes
Nutrition
TC says
I love risotto and never thought of adding to pesto to it, what a great idea it tasted delicious.
John Pagdin says
Great recipes but it would help those of us trying to shed a few kilos if you could show the calories in one serving. Otherwise, keep up the good work and enjoy your trip to Florida.
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks John, I may add nutritional info in the future when I've got a little more bandwidth. Thanks for the feedback and trying the recipes 🙂
Julia @ Happy Foods Tube says
I have already had lunch but I wish I could taste some this risotto. Oh, and I would also take the avocado breakfast bowl, thank you :). We recently returned from a 2 week road trip - filled with sightseeing and activities and I have to say that even though we loved it it was exhausting. We barely managed one lie-in and felt like needed another break afterwards 🙂 Enjoy your trip!
Nicky Corbishley says
Sounds fab! I think we should all take two holidays - a running around one, followed by a completely lazy one 🙂