This asparagus risotto features tender rice cooked in white wine and speckled with asparagus. Crazy easy yet so fancy and perfect for just about any occasion!
This asparagus risotto recipe will have you head over heels. The combination of the nutty rice, white wine, and fresh asparagus is summertime in a bowl (although you could eat this dish year around). Whip up a batch for a fancy side dish or serve it as-is for meatless Monday.
What is Risotto?
Risotto is a northern Italian rice dish made with arborio rice. The most common style of rice in Italy, it’s creamy, decadent, and comes in all different kinds of flavors and styles. Most of the time, it’s made with some combination of broth, butter, onion, white wine, and parmesan cheese.
- Flavor: The flavor of this risotto is a balance of earthy asparagus, nutty parmesan cheese and tangy white wine sauce.
- Texture: The texture of this dish is creamy on overload. Each bite is silky and so irresistible!
- Time: From start to finish, this dish takes 45 minutes to make.
A Little 101 on Arborio Rice
Arborio rice is a variety of short-grain rice used almost exclusively to prepare risotto. It’s short, fat, and slightly oval-shaped with a pearl-like tint to it. Unlike typical rice, it has a higher starch content, yielding a much chewier and creamy texture. (Here is the one we love)
How to Prepare Asparagus Risotto
Preparing this simple asparagus risotto requires under 10 ingredients and a heavy-bottomed skillet.
- Warm Up the Broth: In a small saucepan, warm up the broth over medium heat. Use your favorite broth, be it chicken, beef, or even bone broth.
- Trim the Asparagus: Next, trim the asparagus spears and slice them into small pieces.
- Sauté the Asparagus: In a deep skillet, sauté the chopped asparagus stalks in butter and olive oil until fork tender. Remove it from the pan and set it aside.
- Sauté the Shallots & Garlic: Next, add the shallots and garlic into the pan and sauté them until they turn translucent.
- Toast the Rice: Add the rice to the pan and toast it until it’s light brown.
- Add in the Wine & Broth: Next, add the white wine into the rice, followed by 1 cup of broth to the rice. Boil the rice until it’s fully absorbed.
- Add in Portions of Broth: Add in small portions of the broth to the rice, stirring in between each round. Remove the rice from heat.
- Add the Cheese & Asparagus: Lastly, add in the parmesan cheese and asparagus. Serve immediately!
Runny risotto? Don’t fret! If the risotto is on the runnier side, the liquids will get absorbed by the rice as it sits.
5 Tips for the Perfect Asparagus Risotto
A handful of helpful tips will help you make a perfect ladleful of risotto.
- Prepare the risotto over medium heat. For quick and steady cooking, keep the heat over medium while you’re cooking the risotto. This will prevent it from burning, while also ensuring that the rice cooks evenly.
- Add the broth in slowly for a creamier texture. Adding in the broth in heats makes the risotto so much creamier. Don’t rush the process!
- Don’t cook the veggies with the rice. You’ll want to cook the veggies separately from the risotto, or they will get super soggy and overcooked.
- Stir the rice constantly to prevent burning. Risotto is prone to burning to the bottom of the pan, so make sure to stir it constantly so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
- Swap in your favorite vegetables. If you want to add more veggies to the dish or swap in your favorites, go for it! Mushrooms, broccoli, and peas are all great options.
Hot Tip: Add a spritz of a lemon juice or lemon zest to finished risotto to bring out the flavors.
Ways to Serve Risotto
You can serve the risotto as a meatless main dish or as a side dish to your favorite protein. We love serving it alongside air fryer shrimp, pan-seared scallops, or a cast iron ribeye steak. You can also serve it alongside a veggie side dish like air fryer broccoli or grilled zucchini and mushrooms.
Storing & Reheating Hot Tips
To keep the risotto fresh for up to a week, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. This will prevent the rice from drying out, while also preventing the risotto from soaking up smells in the refrigerator.
Reheating Tip: To reheat the risotto, pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes or pop it in a skillet with a bit of butter on medium heat.
FAQ
Can you freeze asparagus risotto?
It’s not a good idea to freeze asparagus risotto. Neither the asparagus nor the rice tend to thaw well and are prone to turning mushy upon thawing.
Is risotto rice or pasta?
Risotto is rice, not a pasta. Oftentimes, people get this mixed up because arborio rice gets so creamy and has a high starch content much like pasta does.
What kind of a pan is best for risotto?
A heavy-bottomed, straight-sided skillet is the best for cooking risotto. You want to use a pan that’s flat so you can promote even cooking and ensure each grain of rice is fully cooked through.
Can you use any type of rice for risotto?
While arborio rice is the best for risotto due to its high starch content and creaminess, you can use a standard long-grain rice in a pinch. Just be aware that the risotto won’t come out as creamy or chewy in texture.
Should you cover risotto while it’s cooking?
You should not cover risotto while it’s cooking. This will cause the rice to burn to the bottom of the pan and overcook due to steam. Instead, keep the lid off and continually stir the dish as it cooks.
More Tasty Asparagus Recipes to Try
- The Best Asparagus Quiche Recipe – Veggie egg pie
- Easy Asparagus Casserole Recipe – Asparagus baked in cream sauce
- Quick Pickled Asparagus – An easy vinegar based brine will give you an easy and tasty asparagus side!
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus – Crazy easy bacon wrapped asparagus
- Chicken and Mushrooms with Asparagus Recipe – Simple chicken and veggie stir fry
Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups broth chicken, beef or vegetable
- 1 lb asparagus
- 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 medium shallots chopped
- 2 cup arborio rice
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, cook the broth over medium heat.
- Trim the ends off the asparagus and slice it into bite-sized pieces.
- Preheat a deep pan with butter and oil. Toss the asparagus in for a few minutes and cook it until it's fork tender and still bright green. Remove it from the pan and set it aside.
- Add the shallots into the pan and sauté them until they turn translucent. Add in the garlic. Stir it until well combined.
- To the pan, add in the rice and cook it until it turns a light shade of brown.
- Add the wine into the rice and stir until it's fully absorbed. Add in 1 cup of broth to the rice and boil it until it's fully absorbed. Add in small portions of the broth to the rice, stirring in between each round. Remove the rice from heat.
- Add in the parmesan cheese and asparagus and stir until well combined. Serve immediately!
This so far the best Asparagus Risotto that I have tried! I can finally say that I have found my go-to recipe.
That's what we like to hear! Thank you, Natasha 🙂
This risotto was easy and delicoius! My family loved it!
So glad your family loved this recipe, Wilhelmina!
Creamy with a little crunch from the asparagus, this dish is amazing!! Love the flavor!
Hi Kristyn- I love risotto and I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe too!