This Lemon & Asparagus Risotto comes just in time to give you a filling yet light dish for Spring. Enjoy it topped with grilled shrimp or use it as a side dish at a BBQ.

Nothing beats sunshine and 70-degree weather, am I right? I am LOVING spring and don’t even mind the occasional rain shower. Since it is {finally} spring, that means I need lighter dishes that don’t feel so much like comfort food but instead feel like a refreshing spring rain shower or a light breezy day.

I am a fan of rice and more specifically risotto. If you’re curious, risotto is just rice cooked in broth. I find it to easy to digest and incredibly energizing. It is not like sugar where I get an immediate jolt of energy only to be followed by a swift and drastic crash. Rice happens to give me a boost of energy without that looming crash. Others may disagree but with my level of activity, the carbs are my friend and I would much rather eat real food carbs than junk food. Add some veggies in there, and we have risotto for the win.

My Risotto History

Excuse my swimmer’s hair, it’s amazing it was even pulled back (probably because it was a requirement). Disclaimer: I probably had no idea we were taking pictures that day, even though I’m sure we were told. (Circa 2010)

Fun fact: I have a bit of a history with risotto. Who doesn’t, right? Haha, no idea if you have a history with risotto but I thought it’d be fun to share my brief history with such a lovely dish.

In college, my senior year, we were required to take a class that involved cooking. It was a blend of cooking, science as well as nutrition. You know, here is how we cook X, Y, and Z and here is why it is/is not healthy. And here is how to modify for those that have allergies/intolerances.

It was an amazing class (how couldn’t it be we got to eat food for a few hours). At the end of the semester, we were required to come up with a dish within a certain budget to prepare (within an hour or so) and serve. We also had to present the nutrients in the meal (because science) and I was super excited to find this risotto recipe (I will hopefully dig up that recipe one day). The dish was within budget, had an excellent nutrient profile and seemed reasonable enough to make within the timeframe.

I was wrong.

Being a novice back then, I didn’t realize that risotto was a labor of love. I spent far too much time prepping and not nearly enough time allowing the rice to soak up the broth. It was definitely feasible, but I had NO IDEA what I was doing. So I had to have the food plated ASAP and there was no chance the rice was fully cooked, it was crunchy, at best. Have you ever had crunchy rice? I wouldn’t recommend it.

Here’s my advice to you, be incredibly patient with your risotto and you’ll come running back for more. Be impatient and stubborn and you’ll be crunching on your rice during your final, trying to tell your professor it tastes delicious when it most certainly does not.

So, yeah, risotto and I have a history. I’m pretty stubborn so ever since then I decided I was going to make risotto my thing. I now make some mean risottos and have recently been experimenting with using the Instant Pot to make the risotto. I’ll update you when I have more experience.

White Rice, Really?

Ok enough of my weird relationship with risotto. I get asked this question more often than not. So let’s get it out of the way, shall we?

Is rice healthy for you? Well, here’s your favorite response, it depends.

The nice thing about white rice is that it tends to be one of the easier to digest grains. The major downside is that because it is so easy to digest and it is mostly made of carbohydrates, it has a higher than desired glycemic index and thus spikes the blood sugar post-consumption more aggressively than some other (higher fiber-rich) grains/starches. This is great for those that exercise regularly and have higher carbohydrate needs. It is also great for those who are looking to eat more carbohydrates and/or gain mass.

It is not ideal (especially in the higher proportions) for those who are inactive and/or who are looking to lose weight and/or regulate blood sugar. 1 cup of rice has about 45+g of carbohydrate. If you’ve ever received white rice for dinner at a restaurant, you know fair well they fill your plate with WAY more than 1 cup, just to put things in perspective. A meal like risotto is great post workout and/or great as a side dish as to not overdo the carbs. Not to mention, risotto has far more qualities than just it’s glycemic index. I have loaded this one with veggies and recommend topping it with some delicious sources of protein to fill you up.

Note: Not sure how many carbs you need in a day? I can help. Contact me or check out the custom meal plans I use here.

Lemon & Asparagus Risotto

Ready to make this delicious risotto dish? Excellent, the recipe is waiting for you. Remember, patience is KEY when cooking risotto. You also must not travel far. You need to stir frequently so that the risotto does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Pour yourself a glass of wine and get ready to produce this labor of love. You won’t be sad about it, I can promise you that.

Pro tip: Look for asparagus that is bright in color as deteriorating color means that it is not the freshest! To store at home do so in the refrigerator, upright and with the ends in an inch of fresh water.

Lemon & Asparagus Risotto

Yield: 8 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 Tbsp butter
1 small sweet yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups arborio rice (or other short grain rice)
1-cup dry white wine (I used chardonnay)
1 bunch of asparagus, ends removed and sliced into 3rds
10 oz. mushrooms, sliced
4 cups broth (+ more as needed)
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup parmesan, grated
½ tsp garlic powder
Salt & pepper, to taste
Juice & zest of 1 lemon

Toppings: (optional)

Shrimp
Sprouts
Prosciutto, lightly toasted

Instructions

Add butter, onion & garlic to large sauté pan or dutch oven, cook ~3 minutes or until translucent
Add rice, toast for 1 minute
Add wine, stir and cook off alcohol for ~1-2 minutes
Add in asparagus & mushrooms, stir to combine
Add 1 cup of broth at a time, until mostly absorbed.
Once all liquid is absorbed add in peas, cheese, salt & pepper
Squeeze in fresh lemon and add in zest, stir to combine.
Top with shrimp, sprouts & prosciutto if desired and serve.

Notes

For 8 Servings (Macros listed are per serving):
10 g Protein
50 g Carb
5 g Fat

Have you tried risotto before? Do you like it?

xoxo,

Sassy

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Lemon & Asparagus Risotto

This Lemon & Asparagus Risotto comes just in time to give you a filling yet light dish for Spring. Enjoy it topped with grilled shrimp or use it as a side dish at a BBQ.