Green Pesto Risotto
A creamy, vibrantly green risotto finished with basil pesto and lemon. Rich, herbaceous, and surprisingly straightforward once you understand the method.
Equipment
- Wide, heavy-bottomed pot
- Separate small pot (for warming broth)
- Ladle
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1½ cups 300g arborio rice
- 6 cups 1.2–1.4L warm vegetable broth, kept hot in a separate pot
- 1 small onion or 2 shallots finely diced (about 100g)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup 120ml dry white wine
- 3 tbsp 42g unsalted butter (or vegan butter), divided
- 1 tbsp 15ml olive oil
- ½ cup 50g freshly grated Parmesan (or nutritional yeast for vegan)
- ⅓ cup 80g basil pesto, homemade or store-bought
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Extra pesto for garnish
- Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Keep broth warm in a separate pot over low heat throughout the cooking process.
- Heat the olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the arborio rice and stir for 2 minutes, until translucent with a small white dot in the center of each grain.
- Add the wine and stir until fully absorbed.
- Begin adding warm broth one ladle at a time, stirring frequently and only adding the next ladle once the previous one has been absorbed. Continue for 18–22 minutes, until the rice is al dente and creamy.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the remaining butter, Parmesan, pesto, and lemon juice. Stir vigorously until glossy and creamy.
- Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve immediately in warm bowls with an extra dollop of pesto and fresh basil.
Notes
Serve immediately. Risotto thickens fast as it sits. To reheat, stir in a splash of warm broth over low heat to loosen it back up.
Add the pesto off the heat. Cooking it directly will dull the green color and flatten the flavor.
Vegan swap: use vegan butter and nutritional yeast in place of Parmesan.
Gluten-free note: rice, wine, and butter are naturally GF — double-check your specific broth and pesto brands before labeling the recipe GF, as some contain gluten additives.