Risotto is one of those dishes that is well worth the time it takes to make it. Especially when you add lemon, Parmesan, and asparagus to it! Tangy, creamy, and crunchy, all rolled into one amazing side dish!
Hey, hey, heeeeey!!! It’s Thursday, y’all. In case you missed that memo this morning. And why am I excited that it’s Thursday, you ask? Well, because that means tomorrow is Friday, which means the weekend is almost here!!
I pretty much live for the weekends now, I won’t lie. From the start of Monday until 4:30 on Friday I am counting down the minutes until it’s the weekend again. You may wonder why that is, or you may be thinking, yeah, that’s you and all the rest of the world, lady. And it’s really quite simple…the week days are chaotic, at best. I spend more time at work, away from my family each day, than I get to spend with them the entire week combined. How insane is that? And yes, I know, that is reality for many, many people. But it sucks that I see my baby girl for about an hour in the morning and about 2 hours in the evening. That’s it. 3 hours a day. And during those 2 evening hours, I don’t really get to spend much time with her, because I’m in the kitchen cooking dinner while she and J play, then we all eat, give her a bath and get her ready for bed, then I nurse her to sleep. That is what our evenings look like, Monday through Friday. And while it may sound like I’m whining about my schedule, I’m really not. That truly is just life for so many of us.
So, the weekends are the only time we have to actually spend time together as a family. Even if that time looks like hanging out and home, playing in between naps, or running errands. And that is why I am so protective of our weekend time. I don’t like to share it, unless it’s a special occasion. And definitely not if it interferes with nap time. Sorry not sorry.
I don’t usually make things during the week that require a lot of prep-work or take a lot of time, but I made an exception for this risotto. Because…deliciousness.
It has literally been years since I last made risotto. I made this one, minus the asparagus, in 2011. Almost 6 years ago, y’all. I have a couple of other risotto recipes on here, but they’ve all been at least four years ago. That’s craziness. Cray. Zi. Ness. But, I’m willing to bet that so many of you are a lot like me, and focus on the main dish more so than the side dishes. Am I right? I choose my main dish, then just pick a veggie and starch to go with. Rarely are those components anything very exciting. Even when I try to “plan” a more exciting side dish, I often wind up making something simple anyway. It’s just easier, most of the time. But side dishes are important, too! #sidedishesmatter
Just look at that creamy risotto. Just look at it! With shallots, lemon juice, creamy Parmesan, and crisp-tender asparagus.
Now that you’ve looked, and maybe drooled on your screen a bit, go add it to your menu!
Lemon Parmesan Asparagus Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 shallot , diced
- 3/4 cup arborio rice
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 bunch asparagus , woody ends removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 Tbsp parsley , chopped
Instructions
- Heat chicken broth in a small pot and keep warm. (I just leave it on the burner over low heat)
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet and cook shallots until they start to turn translucent.
- Stir rice into the pan and cook for 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and white wine vinegar. Simmer until evaporated, stirring the whole time.
- Stir in chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, continuing to stir, until it is absorbed.
- Stir in the asparagus when you add your last 1/2 cup of broth.
- When the last 1/2 cup is almost absorbed, add remaining 1 Tbsp of butter, parsley and Parmesan and stir to combine.
- Serve hot!
Adapted From: Look Who’s Cookin’ Now
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