It's time to celebrate Spring with all of those in season vegetables! Asparagus, spring peas, fresh herbs - the list goes on and this Spring Risotto is full of them all! This recipe features Lundberg Family Farms White Arborio Rice cooked with dry white wine and broth.
To top it off, I added some garlic shrimp sauteed in butter and it's just a delight for your tastebuds. You have to make this recipe for yourself and let me know what you think!
For more shrimp recipes, try this Shrimp Remoulade and Shrimp Boil!
This Spring Risotto is such a great way to enjoy all of the fresh vegetables that the season has to offer. It's both a comfort food but still so bright in flavor. With ingredients like white wine, lemon zest, garlic, parmesan, and shallots, you really can't go wrong with this asparagus risotto recipe.
You do not have to wait to go to the restaurant to make your own risotto, I've broken down how to make your own risotto at home. This dish makes for a great dinner, is even better the next day as leftovers, and is also a great all-around dish to keep handy whenever you want a dinner that feels fancy but doesn't require complicated ingredients.
ingredients needed to make spring risotto
A few pantry staples are required to make this recipe. Check it out below:
- Arborio Rice: this is the star of the show. I recommend using Lundberg White Arborio Rice because it's high quality, rich, creamy, and perfect for this risotto recipe. I've been making risotto for years with their arborio rice, it's the only brand that I use!
- Asparagus and Peas: the spring veggies I used to make this a true "Spring" Risotto. You can use frozen peas or fresh, both work! I do recommend using fresh asparagus as they yield less water.
- Fresh Rosemary, Thyme, Seasonings: these give the risotto beautiful aromatic herby flavors
- Shallots and Garlic: more aromatics, what's a recipe without garlic?!
- White Wine: I used a dry chardonnay, it gives such great flavor to the risotto and is a key ingredient. It adds a slightly acidic flavor.
- Parmesan Cheese: for added creamy texture and a bit of a nutty flavor!
- Lemons: both the zest and the lemon juice are used for this recipe. It brightens all of the flavors and brings everything together.
- Shrimp: I used jumbo shrimp for this recipe but feel free to use what you have on hand!
- Chicken Broth: if you'd like to use veggie or beef broth, feel free to get creative! I used chicken broth because I love the flavors and how it compliments the white wine.
how to make spring risotto
Add chicken broth to a sauce pan and simmer on low. In a separate pan, warm olive oil and butter over medium heat. Sauté garlic, shallots, asparagus, and peas together in the olive oil and butter mixture. Set aside on a plate.
Then add fresh herbs - rosemary and thyme and more garlic to the skillet and saute until fragrant. Add the arborio rice and toast until the rice becomes translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Then add white wine and cook until the wine has been absorbed into the rice.
Continue to stir rice and add chicken broth one cup at a time. Stir frequently so that the rice does not burn. Once all of the broth is added, grate in Parmesan and lemon zest. Squeeze in lemon juice and stir. Then add asparagus and peas back into the risotto with the garlic and shallots. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir together and set aside.
now make the garlic butter shrimp
Add seasonings, salt, and pepper to the shrimp and toss to coat. Sprinkle olive oil and butter in a pan and add shrimp. Cook for about 5 minutes, until shrimp is pink on both sides.
Place garlic butter shrimp on top of the spring risotto and serve. Optional - top with additional herbs and fresh burrata. You can also add additional lemon zest on top should you like! I love a little extra lemon for a nice zing and bright flavor. Then Bon Appetit!
what is the trick to making good risotto?
There are quite a few tricks to making risotto. It's a fairly easy dish to make, but also an easy dish to mess up too.
- My first recommendation is to use warm broth (not boiling). When you use cold broth/stock, it lowers the temperature of the dish and makes the risotto mushy as opposed to al dente.
- Stir risotto almost constantly. You should be standing by the stove while making risotto, it's not the kind of dish where you set it and forget it. Luckily, it only takes about 25 minutes to make. The end result is also worth it too.
- Add cheese once the risotto is finished cooking. If you add it too early it'll melt and clump together.
- I recommend using a large deep skillet or dutch oven for the risotto. This prevents the pan from overflowing.
is risotto rice or pasta?
Risotto is not made with pasta. Risotto is an Italian dish made with arborio rice which is creamy medium grain rice. Arborio rice has high starch content which gives it that creamy consistency when cooking risotto. I really like using Lundberg Farms Arborio Rice because it's sustainable, non-GMO, and naturally gluten free!
It's pretty easy to confuse arborio rice as pasta, kind of how like orzo is pasta but looks like rice. For a while I confused the two, so you're not alone if you were wondering about this!
a few tips
- For the best flavor, use quality and fresh ingredients!
- If you are sensitive/watching your salt intake, use low sodium broth to help cut down on the sodium.
- Switch up the protein and use chicken or even steak. You can keep the same seasonings, just be sure to cook your protein until it's cooked thoroughly.
- To make this dish vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and leave out the shrimp completely.
more delicious recipes!
- Asparagus and Prosciutto Puff Pastry Bundles
- Herb Brown Butter Scallops with Champagne Risotto
- Roasted Mushroom and Pepperoni Pizza
- Cheesy Olive Pizza with Mushrooms and Burrata
- Pesto Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto
- Simple Parmesan Risotto
- Cajun Chicken and Rice
This blog post and recipe for Spring Risotto with Garlic Butter Shrimp was made in partnership with Lundberg Family Farms! I received compensation in exchange for this work. My opinions on their products are genuine. Thanks for your continued support!
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Let's stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! Also, if you decide to make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and leave a comment below! Tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can see your creations! I hope that you love this recipe as much as we do!
Spring Risotto with Garlic Butter Shrimp
Equipment
- Large Skillet
- Sauce Pan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 3 tbsps butter
- 6 cloves garlic diced
- 2 whole shallots diced
- 12 oz asparagus halved
- 1 ½ cups peas frozen
- 4 sprigs thyme fresh
- 3 sprigs rosemary fresh
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups white wine
- ½ cup parmesan
- 2 lemons zested and squeezed
- 2-4 tbsps milk optional
- 1 burrata for garnish, optional
Garlic Butter Shrimp
- 1 lb shrimp deveined
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried chives
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 3 tbsps butter
Directions
- Pour chicken broth into a saucepan and simmer on low heat.
- In a skillet, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add shallots and half of the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then add asparagus and peas. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook together for 5 minutes and place on a plate and set aside.
- Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsps of butter into the pan. Melt together and add fresh thyme and rosemary. Cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant and add Arborio rice. Slightly toast arborio rice until rice becomes translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Then add white wine. Cook until white wine is absorbed.
- Slowly begin to pour chicken broth into the risotto, one cup at a time, stirring frequently. Continue to add the remaining chicken broth after each cup is absorbed. Cook until al dente, about 25-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to test.
- Remove risotto from the heat and add grated parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and squeeze in lemon juice. Stir together. (optional, if risotto becomes dry, add 2-4 tbsps of milk) Add peas and asparagus back into the risotto and stir together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine shrimp, seasonings, and remaining diced garlic and toss together. Add butter and olive oil to a skillet, add shrimp and saute until shrimp is pink on both sides, about 4-5 minutes. Place shrimp on top of the risotto and serve.
Notes
- If risotto becomes dry after all broth is added, remove from the heat add ¼ cup of milk or water and stir.
- Be careful cooking the risotto, it is important to stir frequently so that the bottom doesn't burn. Also be sure to allow the risotto to absorb the chicken broth before adding more.
The butter / oil amounts aren't super clear. When you do the asparagus and peas are you putting the entire qty of those in? (3 tbsp butter , 2 tbsp oil)? Or is it supposed to be split between that and then the arborio rice?
Hello, I just clarified the amounts. I hope that this helps!
This was the best risotto I've ever made. I tried making risotto before and it didn't come out well, but I tried your recipe and it came out perfectly. I loved the addition of shrimp too. Just such a great recipe!
Thank you so much!
This was an absolutely amazing recipe! The flavors were so fresh it really defines spring time! And I know the burrata is optional but I would definitely recommend it…it gave it the perfect amount of creaminess. This was a HUGE winner in our house and will definitely be making it again. I can’t recommend this recipe enough.
thank you so much!! I really appreciate your feedback and am so happy that you enjoyed this recipe!