Risotto Verde

This delicious risotto verde recipe has a vibrant green sauce made from vegetables and topped with crispy pancetta and parmesan cheese. The green sauce is made from three different vegetables pureed into a creamy broth that the risotto cooks in. The crispy pancetta and salty parmesan finish the dish off with amazing flavor.

Green Risotto Recipe

This risotto verde recipe is a recipe I have been thinking about making for a few years, but just never got a chance to make. I love that it is a vegetable forward dish without even feeling like it. And it is just the perfect Spring dish. I use three different spring vegetables in this dish – asparagus, peas, and spinach.

The risotto gets its beautiful green color from the green vegetable puree that is added to the broth. The vegetables mix together with white wine, garlic, and cheese to create a wonderful comforting, but fresh flavor. I then added crispy pancetta on top of the creamy risotto to add more texture and wonderful flavor to the dish. You can also top this with bacon, ham, or crispy prosciutto.

How to make Risotto

One of my favorite meals to make is risotto. I have been making various versions for each season using seasonal ingredients and it has been a thing that I look forward to. I started off a couple of years ago just making a basic shrimp risotto, but it came out so delicious and I truly enjoyed making it that I decided to try again with some different ingredients.

Since that day I have published various risotto recipes such as this Butternut Squash Risotto with Goat Cheese and Sausage, a Zucchini Risotto, a Creamy Caprese Risotto, even a Kielbasa Risotto. In the past. risotto was an enigma to me. I always knew really great chefs would make it and I would always see it on menus at fancy restaurants, but I had always heard “risotto is difficult to make” so I never tried to make it.

Well, I tried making it and it came out so good and it was actually so EASY to make. The only thing that is required is stirring every now and then, but other than that it is actually an easy dish to make. My family loves rice, and I love that rice is naturally gluten free. We are not a gluten free family, but being able to make risotto is a great option to create a special meal for gluten free guests.

Easy Risotto Verde

Step by Step instructions

• Cut your Asparagus: Prepare your asparagus tips. Chop them into 1″ pieces.
• Crisp up the Pancetta: This Risotto Verde recipe starts off by crisping up the pancetta. I buy my pancetta from the grocery store already diced, so I just open up the package and add it to the pan. Cook this mixture until the pancetta starts to brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Brown Onions and Garlic: Dice the onions and garlic pretty small so that they blend well with the risotto mixture. Cook the onions and garlic until they are translucent.
• Add in your wine and rice: Add the arborio rice and white wine to the pan with the onions and garlic. I love adding a splash of wine in my risotto. It really brightens up the flavor. I only really started cooking with wine in the past few years and I remember when I first did it, I was just so amazed at how much more “restaurant quality” my recipes became. Honestly, just a couple of splashes of wine in a stew or risotto completely elevates the flavor.
• Add in your chicken broth: After about 3 minutes of the wine and and rice simmering together, I begin to add my chicken broth. I begin with 2 cups of chicken broth and a good stir. I continue to stir once every 5 minutes until I see that most of my liquid is evaporating. Once the liquid is almost gone, continue adding the broth one cup at a time. You should always wait until the broth has cooked into the rice before you add each cup of broth. You should see that the dish is becoming very creamy. Give it a good stir every few minutes.
• Make the vegetable puree: add the spinach to a vitamix or blender with 1/2 cup of chicken broth. If you are having trouble blending it, you can add another 1/4 cup of broth. Add some of the cheese during this step too to flavor the spinach puree.
• Add Asparagus and Peas: Add the asparagus and peas to the risotto. Once they are starting to get tender add your spinach puree. Cook until the asparagus is al dente and you have a creamy risotto. Remove from heat and add lemon zest and juice plus parmesan cheese.
• Add Pancetta: Finally, add your crispy pancetta on top.

How to make this Risotto Verde Recipe

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 cup Arborio Rice
• 1 tbsp Salted Butter
• 4 oz Pancetta diced
• 1/2 Yellow Onion finely diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves finely minced
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 4 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 bundle Asparagus Only use the top half of each stalk. Cut into 1″ pieces.
• 1 cup Fresh Spinach
• 1/2 cup Frozen Peas you can use more if you want
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese Freshly Grated
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
• Lemon Zest

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Using only the top half of the asparagus stalks, prepare your asparagus tips. Chop them into 1″ pieces. Set aside.
• Add your diced pancetta to a large pan. Cook this until the pancetta starts to brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Dice the onions and garlic pretty small so that they blend well with the risotto mixture. Cook the onions and garlic until they are translucent.
• Add the arborio rice and white wine to the pan with the onions and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes.
• After about 3 minutes of the wine and and rice simmering together, stir in some chicken broth. I begin with 2 cups of chicken broth and a good stir. I continue to stir once every 5 minutes until I see that most of my liquid is evaporating. Once the liquid is almost gone, continue adding the broth one cup at a time. You should always wait until the broth has cooked into the rice before you add each cup of broth. You should see that the dish is becoming very creamy. Give it a good stir every few minutes.
• Add the spinach to a vitamix or blender with 1/2 cup of chicken broth. If you are having trouble blending it, you can add another 1/4 cup of broth. Add about 1/4 cup of cheese during this step too to flavor the spinach puree. Blend together.
• Add the asparagus tips and frozen peas to the risotto. Once they are starting to get tender add your spinach puree. Cook until the asparagus is al dente and you have a creamy risotto. Remove from heat and add lemon zest and juice plus parmesan cheese.
• Finally, add your crispy pancetta on top.