Parmesan Risotto is an Italian side dish perfect for Easter dinner. Creamy rice with lemon juice, spring peas, and Parmesan cheese.
Baked Mac and Cheese is full of decadent creaminess that makes it a perfect holiday Side Dish recipe. If you are looking for a rich, creamy rice dish with fresh spring flavor for Easter, you will love this risotto recipe.
This creamy risotto makes fancy side dish for Easter Dinner, is easy enough serve on a weeknight, and hearty enough to be a main course. If this is your first time making risotto, prepare to be pleasantly surprised on how quickly this beautiful rice dish comes together.
Lemon Risotto might seem like the kind of dish you only see on five star menu or cooking competition, but trust that any home cook can easily master this Italian rice dish. Learn a few basics and you will be serving this delicious side dish every chance you get.
Parmesan Risotto is all about stirring in small cups of liquid at a time and the creaminess you get with each bite is so worth it. It may be tempting to add the chicken broth all at once or before it’s fully absorbed each time. But if you keep your broth warm and add in small amounts, this recipe actually only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish!
One of the key ingredients in any risotto recipe is the kind of rice. There is a lot of stirring in this recipe so you want a rice type that won’t get mushy. The most widely available and best rice for risotto is Arborio rice. You can find Arborio rice in most grocery stores and it works perfectly for Parmesan Risotto.
This risotto recipe uses frozen peas since they are easy to find year round, you don’t need to steam them, and there’s no shelling needed. In short, frozen peas make this recipe super easy. You can use fresh peas or spring peas, but they will need to be steamed before adding to the risotto.
Perfect Easter Main Courses to Serve with Risotto
Roast Turkey
Baked Ham (with Brown Sugar Glaze)
Perfect Garlic Prime Rib
Perfect Simple Roast Chicken
How to Serve
Serve this creamy Parmesan Risotto with simple rustic mains like Baked Scallops, Roasted Chicken or Pork Loin Roast. Risotto can be an easy vegetarian main course by using veggie broth instead of chicken broth and serving with Dinner Rolls.
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Variations and Substitutions
- Cheese: Instead of Parmesan cheese, try using other strong flavored cheeses like Romano cheese, Swiss cheese, Asiago cheese, or Manchego.
- Wine: Use a dry white wine like Pinot Grigio, Un-oaked Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc. If you don’t want to use wine, substitute chicken broth or white grape juice.
- Herbs: You can use other Italian herbs in Lemon Parmesan Risotto. Add fresh or dried herbs like sage, rosemary, or oregano. If you like garlic, add a teaspoon or two of minced garlic cloves after cooking the shallots, heating 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Veggies: Try this risotto recipe with chopped roasted veggies, steamed broccoli or cauliflower, or cooked chopped zucchini.
- Vegan Risotto: Easily make this a Vegan Lemon Risotto by using olive oil instead of butter, veggie broth for chicken broth, and nutritional yeast for the Parmesan cheese. You can get nutritional yeast in bulk bins at many stores.
More Easy and Tasty Rice Dishes
Easy Wild Rice
Spanish Rice (Mexican Rice)
Chinese Fried Rice (10 Minutes!)
Easy Mushroom Rice
How to Store
- Serve: This dish is best served immediately for maximum creaminess but can be at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
- Store: Transfer cooled risotto to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove top with a little milk or chicken broth to make creamy again.
- Freeze: You can freeze risotto for up to 3 months in a sealed container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stove top over medium heat.
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 shallots , finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice , uncooked
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup white wine , or additional chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup frozen spring peas , thawed
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese , grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel , grated
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat chicken broth and keep warm on low heat.
- In a large skillet, sauté shallots in butter for 2-3 minutes or until tender.
- Add the rice, thyme and black pepper; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Stir in white wine and lemon juice.
- Cook while continuing to stir until all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Stir in heated broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly. Allow liquid to absorb between additions.
- Cook just until risotto is creamy and rice is almost tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add the peas, parmesan cheese and lemon peel. Stir and cook until heated through.
Nutrition
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