Enjoy our vibrant green vegetable risotto with peas, baby spinach and asparagus. This easy veggie dinner is bursting with fresh flavours from chives, mint, lemon zest and pecorino.
Ingredients
900ml vegetable stock
125g asparagus spears, cut into 2-3 pieces
25g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
150g risotto rice
75g peas (fresh or frozen)
50g baby spinach, chopped
40g pecorino, finely grated, plus extra to serve
chives, chopped to make 1 tbsp
mint, chopped to make 1 tbsp
1 lemon, zested
Step by step
Heat the stock in a pan until simmering. Blanch the asparagus in the stock for 30 seconds then scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain.
Melt a knob of the butter with the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan then cook the onion for 8-10 minutes or until softened. Add the rice and keep cooking and stirring for a few minutes until the rice is glossy.
Add the stock a ladleful at a time, stirring, until the rice is just tender (it should have a bite but not be chalky at all). Add all the veg, including the blanched asparagus, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining butter, pecorino, herbs and lemon zest, season and put on a lid. Leave to sit off the heat for 3 minutes then serve in warm bowls with extra cheese, if you like.
