Lemon Asparagus Risotto

Exactly what I had in mind! What a shame the previous reviewer gave it just 3 stars, stating the recipe is tedious because of the constant stirring and the adding of broth: that is the method of risotto! I had no problem with the rice getting soft or sticking either. I used arborio rice as called for and stirred to prevent sticking and the texture was PERFECT. I did not measure the amount of broth I added though, I just added until the rice was done. Perhaps the previous reviewer had their broth at too high of a head and it boiled down, therefor lessening the amount of broth available to cook the rice? One thing to note though: I didn't have a lemon on hand and instead used bottled lemon juice, skipping the zest. I highly recommend you do NOT do this and make sure you have a lemon available. I could taste that fresh lemon juice with zest would have a brighter, cleaner flavor. Lastly, I added salt and white pepper to taste when I added the steamed asparagus because I wanted to taste the rice once all the broth was added - since the broth has salt of its own in it.

Do yourself a favor - don't change a thing the first time you make this recipe. Follow the instructions exactly, give it the time and attention it deserves, and you will have a winning dish. If you prefer bigger (or less) flavors, try it only AFTER you taste it as it's meant - great recipe as is!!

Excellent. Mellow but balanced flavor, colorful (I added orange bell pepper) and a beautiful side dish for the sauteed scallops I served this with. Just what I was looking for. I like a little lemon, but not too much, so I used the lemon juice but not the zest. This was perfect - no criticisms - I wouldn't change a thing.

This recipe was great! my first time making a risotto, I did just like the other reviewers said, followed the recipe exactly, and it was DELICIOUS! i wouldn't change a thing. My boyfriends mother repeatedly said "its like a 5 star restaurant!" Thanks so much for dispelling my fear of risottos and making me look like a master chef. I can't wait to make it again!

I adapted this recipe to make in my InstantPot® (so much easier, and not standing and stirring). Steamed the asparagus as directed, then sauteed the onions and celery in the IP, using the saute feature. Added the garlic, wine then only 2 cups of chicken broth. Sealed and set on manual for 6 minutes. At the end of the 6 minutes, I released the pressure, opened the pot and added the asparagus and switched to "keep warm" until hubs finished cutting the lawn! Right before serving, I added the parmesan and lemon juice as directed. It was really good, and I'll make it again, this very same way.

Final result was good with a nice lemon flavor. This recipe is a bit tedious with the constant stirring while adding broth a ladleful at a time. The risotto was not quite soft and began sticking towards the end of cooking. This requires getting a lot of pans dirty for one dish. Taste of finish product good, but the work to get there for a simple side dish was a challenge.

Very nice - very simple. Only change - ( For us, your milage may vary ) More garlic, more wine, hold off 1/2 the celery until about the last 4 minutes, so it still has a little crunch and holds it's own.

Was a little more labor intensive than I was expecting, but completely worth it. I was sad when it was gone!

Fantastic exactly as is, which is a rare rating for me, as i always tweak things. Thanks!

Didn't change a thing, and it turned out fantastic. My first time making a risotto, and your recipe made it worthwhile.

Very good recipe! I added the raw asparagus (broken into about 1inch pieces) to the risotto mixture during the last 7-8 minutes of the cooking time. I also added a can of wild caught sockeye salmon at the end to make this dish a main entree. The lemon and lemon zest really brightens this dish. I paired this dish with a Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. Perfect!!

I added shrimp to complete the dish. It was a huge hit at my dinner party. Time consuming, but what risotto isn't?

Fantastic! Will certainly make again. Because I was having green beans as a side, I left out the asparagus in this dish. And I nearly doubled the risotto used. With just one cup, it never would have been enough for four servings. That said, I used the called-for amount of chicken broth. I also left out the zest.

Pretty good and easy! Followed the recipe except for the celery.

We LOVED this recipe! We made it exactly how the recipe was written. Will make this again and again.

Will for sure make this again. I didn't have asparagus but it didn't seem to matter I used kale. Also didn't have a real lemon so no zest and I added the lemon juice with my last laddel of water so it wouldn't be so over poweringly tart. I always had my own spices so I would recommend doing that to the tastes

good, gsl liked. made with veal chop

This was very enjoyable! It was my first time making risotto, and it took longer than I know it should have. I think maybe my heat was too high? My broth seemed to absorb or disappear too fast and yet I needed more than the 4 cups of broth for the rice to be tender (not a full cup more). It took about 35 minutes from the time I added the wine to achieve a nice texture. I followed the recipe exactly outside of the timing and used canned lemon juice, no zest. The flavors in this dish are WONDERFUL!

I made it as written and it is fantastic! The flavours are perfectly balanced, rich and creamy without the guilt of butter or cream. Thanks for sharing!

Super easy risotto to make! It was delicious!! I didn't use low-sodium broth, and we left out the celery and Parmesan cheese. Next time I will not put in any lemon zest or lemon juice, as the kids didn't like the lemony flavor...

This is a wonderful recipe. It does take some care with all the stirring. We found it to be a two person job. Next time I will cut the lemon in half. Added mushrooms. Served as a side to pork chops. Lovely meal.

This was a hit in my family. I followed the recipe exactly except I used bottled lemon juice and did not use the lemon zest. As far as being tedious as others have said, risotto IS time consuming but it is worth it!! I might add more parm cheese next time.

Excellent recipe! I added frozen peas and shrimp to this and we all enjoyed our dinner.

First time making risotto and this recipe was excellent! Although it might seem tedious with the constant stirring after adding each ladle of broth, it is well worth the effort! The cook time was spot on for me and I used barely under the amount of broth called for in the recipe. I steamed the asparagus as directed and can't wait to try it with roasted or grilled asparagus. Made this to go along with Chef John's Grilled Swordfish Bruschetta. Now that I know how to make risotto, I can't wait to try it in the Instant Pot! Thanks for the recipe!

I’ve made this for my husband and he loves it. Don’t forget the lemon-it’s needed to cut the richness and brighten the dish.

Absolutely delicious! Used plain rice and otherwise followed the recipe exactly. The asparagus was al dente, just like I like it and the rice was creamy and tasty with just the right amount of lemon. Anyone making risotto should realize it takes constant stirring, so either have all other parts of the meal timed to finish without attention at the same time, or have a handy helper like I did.

Slow and steady wins the race! Excellent and I’ve tried many! The lemon taste was a bit much for my young kids but is adults loved it so lower of littles are joining you. Only things I did different were to save time. Cleaned and diced the asparagus and threw in the simmering broth for a few minutes then removed and cooled with water to stop the cooking until ready to add to mix at end. Made for a wonderful crunch! Must be patient but yes all four cups will soak in! Will make again! Thank you

First of all 4 cups of broth is way too much for 1 cups of risotto, glad I used common sense and did not add it. Too much lemon overpowered everything else. Parmesan did not go with the dish in the end. Won't make again.

Very tedious and takes a very long time. I thought it was fairly bland and but my husband thought it was alright! I still have some risotto leftover, so I might take a stab at this recipe again.

Outstanding recipe! First time making risotto and you made me look like a pro! Followed directions to the letter. I will make this dish over and over again!

Great recipe. First time making risotto and it turned out great. It does take a little more time but well worth it! Only change I made was to omit the celery, but perfect otherwise! Thanks for the recipe!

Followed this recipe as is and I thought it turned out great. Just the right amount of liquid, and it had a nice, bright flavor (definitely don't skip the fresh lemon juice and zest).

Excellent dish! I scaled it down to 2 servings, having some for dinner tonight with leftovers. My asparagus were a little thicker, so I steamed them for a few min longer. The lemon is really good here, giving it a nice, fresh, springtime flavor. I skipped the lemon zest. Thanks for this great recipe that I'll surely enjoy again! UPDATE: Used half asparagus and half mushrooms. Very good! I added mushrooms with celery/onion saute; may be better to saute separately and add at end with asparagus. UPDATE: If adding mushrooms, much better sauteeing for ~5 min separately, then adding when asparagus is added.

Super easy and, more importantly, everyone liked it and wanted more. I cooked chicken breasts in a lemon garlic vinaigrette, sliced them up, and served it all together in a bid pasta bowl. Great dinner!

I just made this recipe as a bed for Chilean sea bass. It was easy to make and exquisite in appearance and taste. My only change was to add fresh English peas shelled directly into the risotto. Btw, you don't have to cook asparagus and peas in this recipe. Just add them raw to the hot risotto a few minutes before serving. The heat of the dish is adequate to cook the veg to perfect crunchy doneness.

I added too much lemon pepper (since I didn't have any lemons). I added in some extra Parmesan to to cut through the lemon and it tasted great! I cut the recipe in half and I still have enough left overs to being to lunch! lol

I will make it again. Added a few more veggies very good

Fantastic. I use more wine and parm, and it turns out wonderfully.

I did not make a single change to this delicious recipe. Shame on those who did and who also used a crock pot! This is so Italian and authentic!

Solid recipe. Agree with another poster that it could use less celery. We added shrimp to it for some protein and it went very well. This is a solid, easy risotto.

Have made this twice - once for a dinner for an Italian group as a side dish (tripled the recipe) and the other as a main course with chicken added in for my daughter and I. Both times a HIT. Simple, flavorful, ... this is going to quickly become part of the general repertoire.

Excellent. We served as a very satisfying side dish but I'd serve as a main course, too. Looking forward to today's leftovers!

Loved it! Yes, it's tedious to add liquid one scoop at a time, but if you wanted something quick, buy a pre-made mix. My 2 year old granddaughter had thirds.... And that's unheard of! (quantifier: she ate around the asparagus after the first helping). Will absolutely make again!

This was so good! My first time making risotto and it came out great. My teenage boys and husband are finishing it off as I write this. I served it with blackened salmon and roasted carrots and it was a great match. Also, I'm trying to cut a few calories so I took out a portion for myself before adding the parmesan---still really good.

I was very excited to make this recipe again. I had two extra cups of chicken stock available an it did take longer than the 20 minutes, but I am learning. The first time I made it I felt it was too lemony, this time I cut back to one Table Spoon of the lemon juice and did use the required amount of Lemon Zest. It is so very good! And we did serve with Scallops! What a great meal! Thank you!

Incredible! I bbq’d the asparagus for some extra fun.

Easy recipe (as risotto goes!) and nice mellow flavor... Seems to need something, just not sure. More garlic? Less onion? More cheese and butter? Adding veggies earlier? But nice as a side dish.

Easy recipe with ingredients already at home. Delicious - followed recipe exactly, but added a little too much lemon juice. Will definitely make again. Hubby and I give it two thumbs up!

Pretty good risotto for a low fat version! I liked the flavor that the lemon zest added to it but would cut down on the lemon juice as I didn't care for the sour note in the risotto. To avoid having too many dishes to wash, I sauteed the cut up asparagus in the same skillet I was going to make the risotto in.

Easy and delicious

This is very good. I used wild rice & white rice because I didn't have what it called for. I will not use the lemon zest the next time & I will add more cheese. Still very delicious!!

Delicious! Didn’t have lemon, but still fabulous!

I made this tonight and it was very good.

Next time going to do in a pot vs. The large skillet I used so rice absorbs liquid vs. It evaporating. Did lemon garlic scallops with it.

Extremely good. I will make it again.

Delicious! I replaced the celery with carrots and the white wine with white wine vinegar, because that's what I had.

Wonderful, and well worth the effort! I made it exactly as stated and wouldn't change a thing.

Loved the recipe. The changes I made were that I used less than 20 asparagus spears (14), and that I used more than 4 cups of chicken broth. My rice was not cooked through with 4 cups of broth, I ended up using approximately 5 cups. Would definitely make again. Was time consuming/labor intensive, however, end product was very good.

Always a favorite! Hubby loves this and gets excited when I make it. I usually make it just as the recipe describes except with a little less asparagus. I use 8 spears if they are thicker and about 15 if they are thin. Love keeping the burner on medium while mixing in the broth. Really cuts down on cooking time and still keeps rice slightly al dente. I turn the burner down to medium-low when mixing I have more time.

Paired well with Alton Brown's Chicken Parm.

Good, straightforward risotto recipe! I don't think it's necessary to toast the risotto for 5 mins and then wait another 5 for the wine (I did 1-2 mins each), but other than that, I made exactly as-is. Added shrimp. Great thing about this recipe is that you can easily customize to use any other vegetable or meat additions.

I made this recipe for our anniversary dinner. I made only one change, by not pre-cooking the asparagus, but adding it during the last few minutes of cooking. It is a lovely dish. The flavour of the parmesan, hinted by the zing of the lemon juice and zest, together with the creaminess of the rice were perfect. My husband loved it. I made 1.5 batches at once so I could freeze some for later too!

Cooked this in the Insta Pot or the other name Pressure Cooker..only takes six (6) minutes and only a couple of minutes of stirring..put in Olive Oil..Garlic...Onion...stirred about two minutes...then some wine...seasoning 1 quart of boiling chicken broth..put the top on...set for Risotto..7 minutes done and perfect..wow this was so good.

added porcini mushrooms-very yummy and worth the effort!

This Risotto is perfect! I was hesitant to make a risotto dish but after watching many cooking shows with risotto dishes, I decided to take the plunge. I used about 1/4 to 1/2 cup more of the broth than the recipe called for and the consistently was great! This is a classy dish and definitely a winner!

Made it almost as per the recipe. I don't drink often and never have wine, so rather not spend the money to get a bottle I just end up throwing out. My wine substitute is ginger ale, seems to work well. Also, the asparagus I was using was thick (out of season) so I didn't use as many stocks as was suggested but there still seemed to be more than enough.

So this took a lot longer to cook and required more broth but I’m blaming the burner I was cooking on. This is a perfect risotto recipe! The lemon zest really brightens it up. I roasted my asparagus because that’s how I prefer it. Will definitely make again.

Delicious. We did not add the white wine and it was great. We also reduced the lemon juice as it seemed to be too much.

Had to use broccoli instead, but it was still very tasty. Mixed in some chicken and we had leftovers for the next two days.

This is a really good risotto. I paired it with salmon which was simply prepared with sat, pepper, olive oil and lemon and it was the perfect combo. Thank you for posting the recipe!

I LOVE risotto but was always intimidated to make it. This recipe was so easy and the risotto was so creamy and wonderful. Yes it takes work (constant stirring) but so worth it! I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing.

Very good! Will make it again.

Delicious made just as instructed. We loved it.

Amazing recipe. Had to use a lot more liquid. Next time try larger ladle size to keep grains entirely wet at all times to allow them to fluff. Did asparagus on the BBQ then added.

Made as directed other than a bit of extra wine and twice as much garlic. Steamed fresh spring asparagus in the microwave and added it near the end including the water the asparagus cooked in. So good!!!

Outstanding! Definitely one of my favorite recipes on this site now! That's saying a lot because there are MANY wonderful recipes on here! I added 12 oz shrimp to make it a complete meal, but that's it. I used the stated amount of liquids with no issues whatsoever. My only regret is that I didn't double this. We finished it all and there were no LEFTOVERS :-( Note to self... MAKE EXTRA!!!

Fantastic! I really liked the idea of the lemon zest and juice - I never thought about it for risotto. This is a definite keeper, and I'll be making this often.

Love it. I used a little more chicken broth than the recipe called for, and followed recommendation to add in the celery at the end of cooking, so it has a little crunch. Can't wait to cook it again!

Delicious! I was able to modify the cooking method to do it in the instant pot (following the IP mushroom risotto recipe on this site). Rookie mistake: I cut off a uniform amount from the stalk bottoms instead of breaking each off which means I had a substantial amount of "wood" in my risotto. Lesson learned, break each stalk!

Would definitely make again. Great summer dish

Great flavour! Definitely making this one again

This recipe was amazing! I used one tablespoon of lemon zest instead and using fresh squeezed lemon was definitely a key component. 100% five star dish.

This was "you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me" good! Best risotto I have ever had, let alone made! I didn't even bother making a protein to go with it, all I needed was a spoon and a moment to myself! Yum, yum, yum!

This dish was amazing!!! Thanks for sharing all your tips.

It turned out perfect! Followed it exactly as written.

Loved this! Creamy texture. Lemon makes a nice addition. I pan seared a couple of scallops and served on the side.

This recipe is a keeper. It paired nicely with a rack of lamb.

Loved it, did not change a thing.

This turned out quite nicely, and tastes great with scallops!

Made this for dinner tonight to go with Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops. such a great complement to the Scallops! Definitely a keeper! Wouldn't change a thing! BTW, I did roast my asparagus in the oven for 10 minutes at 350° with just a drizzle of EVOO and S/P.

I added sliced mushrooms just before you add the white wine and they add some good body to the recipe. Otherwise, this recipe is awesome!

Only change I made was to use Asiago cheese. I have made this so many times. It’s always a favourite

Risotto seems to be kind of a chef's true test. I had never had it before and it turned out awesome! Thanks for a great recipe that takes the mystery out of this intimidating dish :)

Great recipe!!!! I used only 1 tbsp of fresh squeezed lemon juice instead of 2 as the recipe suggested as I just wanted a very mild lemon taste. Served this with pan fried cod and the combination was delicious. Next time will definitely try it with scallops.

This was very good. Very easy to make. I served with pan seared scallops

I added diced tomatoes, and 1teas. of Ranch Seasoning Mix !! Yes, will do again,& again!! Thanks for sharing...

I grilled the asparagus a bit, rather than steaming, and added grilled shrimp at the end. Very tasty, and my daughter beat me to the leftovers.

Will definitely make this again!

Really nice, served this with Salmon Wellington (found on this site). Used bouillon cubes for stock, found it too salty. If I didn't add the extra salt, it would likely have been fine. Used fresh lemon juice and zest as ~Lisa~ recommended, great results.