A simple green vegetable risotto might make you think of Springtime, but actually this one is just as good with Autumn veg! After all, leeks are best during winter, baby spinach is available all year round, and sugar snap peas can always be swapped out for regular peas!
It’s such a great way to enjoy the fresh flavours of Spring during the colder months that I promise you’ll love it. After all, it certainly went down a treat in our house!
I didn’t just use green veggies in this risotto either. As usual, I seized my chance to use some fresh herbs! I chose to use a combination of mint, basil and parsley. However, feel free to add in anything else that you fancy – the greener the better!
Alternatively, if you don’t have fresh herbs, you could try stirring in 1-2 tbsp pesto at the end of the cooking process. This will add a nice herby flavour as well as turning the risotto rice itself green!
If you do decide to use pesto, you might want to be a little more cautious of the amount of salt you use. This is because pesto actually already contains some salt and parmesan. This is similar to how you’ll need less salt if you don’t use reduced-sodium stock cubes. It’s just something little to be careful and aware of!
If you need tips on how to make risotto and get it perfectly creamy then I have some for you here. It’s a rather long post, but everything in there applies to this green vegetable risotto. Make sure you take a look to nail it first try!
Another risotto full of green goodness is my foolproof fresh herb risotto – it was the first risotto that I ever made. In fact, it’s still our family favourite – make sure that you give it a go! And that counts double for you if you have herb plants right there in your garden!
As for my personal life, it’s back to school today – and this year is my last one before uni! I’m very excited to work hard on my application, interviews and general schoolwork even if it is a little daunting! Let me know in the comments what you did after you finished school!
Green Vegetable Risotto
A quick and easy risotto for 2 that's full of healthy green veggies and tasty fresh herbs. It's flavourful, simple, and the ingredients are available all year round! Plus, if you have extra veg of other varieties then you can just use that as well - the more the better!
Ingredients
- 500 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) arborio rice (risotto rice)
- 60 grams (2/3 cup) parmesan, grated
- 1 bunch mint, finely chopped
- 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 1 bunch basil, finely chopped
- 100 grams (1 1/4 cups) sugar snap peas
- 50 grams (2 cups) baby spinach
- salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
- In one saucepan, place the stock over low heat to warm through until just hot. In the other pan, add the olive oil and half the butter and allow to melt.
- Once the butter is melted, add the leeks and garlic and allow to soften gently for 3-5 minutes. Once softened, add the rice and stir to coat with melted butter and toast lightly.
- Begin to add the stock to the pan with the leeks a little at a time, gently stirring fairly often and letting it simmer until almost completely absorbed before repeating until all of the stock has been absorbed.
- Remove the pan from heat. Stir in the remaining butter, parmesan, herbs and vegetables. Allow the vegetables to heat through and the butter and parmesan to melt, making the risotto creamy.
- Season to taste and serve immediately.
Notes
If allowed to cool safely, this risotto can be reheated. Always follow food safety guidelines when reheating rice.
If sugar snap peas are not available, use regular peas to taste (if frozen, add a little before the last of the stock is absorbed to allow them to defrost and cook).
Other vegetables can be substituted in to taste such as kale and broccoli.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1/2 batchAmount Per Serving: Calories: 731Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 1613mgCarbohydrates: 71gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 18g
All nutrition values are an estimate and may vary.
If you’re looking for more risotto recipes then try these:
- microwave risotto with fresh herbs
- tomato risotto with chargrilled veggies
- asparagus, lemon and spinach orzo risotto
- foolproof fresh herb risotto
Enjoy!
Post linked to #CookBlogShare
What a great recipe- loads of lovely vegetables and really colourful.
I’m really glad you like the look of it – I love cooking with fresh veg and it’s always a bonus when the colours match up!
Never thought of pesto in risotto good tip!
I hope you enjoy the results – it really is delicious and it turns the whole risotto pale green!
This looks really tasty. I like the sound of adding pesto in. I’ve got a jar in the larder waiting to be used, and now I might just have found the recipe for it!
It’s definitely a great way to use pesto – it might take a pretty large chunk out of your jar, but I promise that it’s worth it!