This vibrant pesto risotto pairs bright and herby pesto sauce with creamy risotto, fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, and green peas. It’s the perfect springtime dinner for the family, for entertaining guests, or just for a low-fuss weeknight meal.
Risotto gets a bad wrap as being an overly complicated dish. But believe us, it is surprisingly simple. But it appears complex, because you need to preheat the broth and stir it constantly. Trust us, it is so worth the (really minimal) effort!
And risotto’s assumed complexity is precisely why we love to break it out when we have guests. It seems like you must have busted your butt in the kitchen for hours, but in reality you only brought together a few simple ingredients to create a deliciously creamy, crowd-pleasing dish in under 40 minutes. And most of that work was just stirring a pot.
Why You’ll Love This Dish
- Surprisingly simple – we’re not kidding when we say the most complicated thing about this dish is stirring constantly. No, seriously. And if you make your own pesto, combining the ingredients in a food processor adds a little extra time. The rest is just sauteing some aromatics and rice, warming broth on the stove, adding the broth one ladle at a time, and stirring. A lot. And the ingredients are all very straight forward and basic things you probably already have in your pantry or fridge!
- Customizable – we love how customizable this dish is. You can use your favorite pesto, try different cheeses, swap out grains, add more veggies, or throw some protein on top. We give a ton of suggestions at the end of the post, so be sure to check those out.
- Easily makes a complete meal – for some people, risotto solo is enough for dinner. But for my ravenously carnivorous family, we have to add some meat to this dish to round it out. I love topping this dish with grilled or shredded chicken, steak, shrimp, salmon, bacon, pancetta, or even pork chops. For plant-based options, you cold mix in some chickpeas or top with crispy tofu too!
- Feeds a lot – I made this dish for my family of three and it fed us for like a week (granted one of those three is a toddler…). My husband and I were eating leftover risotto for like three days straight. The recipe card says 6 servings, but if you add a protein, veggies, and/or a side of bread you’ll definitely stretch it to 7-8 servings!
What is Risotto
Risotto is an Italian dish made from slowly cooking high-starch, short grain rice in broth until it becomes tender and creamy. The traditional method of making risotto includes sauteing the aromatics (like garlic and onion) and then pan toasting the rice. Then preheated broth is slowly added one ladle at a time, allowing the rice time to completely absorb the broth before adding more. This gradual process allows the rice to slowly release its starches, creating a thick and creamy risotto.
Ingredients
- Arborio rice – the traditional grain used in risotto that is cooked to the perfect tenderness by slowly absorbing broth. You can also use orzo, brown rice, or other grains, but be sure to adjust the cook time.
- Pesto – the vibrant, herby star of the show. We prefer to make our own pumpkin seed pesto or kale pesto to make this dish extra fresh. But store bought pesto works well too.
- Chicken or vegetable broth – for slowly cooking the arborio rice. We use low-sodium broth so that we can better season the risotto to our tastes.
- Yellow onion and garlic – for extra sharpness and a bit of crunch.
- Peas – a little extra green veggies. Frozen peas work great in this recipe.
- Butter – for a touch of creamy texture. We love to use Land O Lakes olive oil butter for a reduced fat option.
- Parmesan cheese – sharp and tangy addition that contributes to the creaminess.
- Olive oil – for sauteing the veggies and pan toasting the rice.
- Salt and pepper – simple seasonings that bring out the other flavors in the dish.
- Basil – optional garnish
Tips for Making Pesto Risotto
- Preheat the broth – our number one tip is to preheat the broth! This is key to creating the best evenly cooked, tender risotto. Warmed broth will be the same temperature as the broth already absorbed in the risotto. So the rice will have a standardized temperature that will allow it to cook evenly, resulting in each individual grain being the same tenderness. If you add cold broth, it will cause cold spots in the pan and some grains will be under-cooked.
- Pan toast the rice – pan toasting the rice in the olive oil and aromatics will give these grains a slightly bolder, nutty flavor that adds a ton of depth to the risotto.
- Add the broth slowly – don’t dump all of your broth into the pot at once. Instead, slowly add one ladle at a time, giving the rice time to absorb the liquid before adding another ladle. This will give the rice time to slowly release their starches and create the naturally creamy consistency risotto is known for. Plus, you may not need all the broth, so adding it all at once may result in mushy, overcooked rice.
- Add the pesto just before serving – the final step before serving this risotto is folding in the pesto. We recommend doing this once the risotto is removed from heat to preserve the vibrant green color and herby taste of the pesto. If you cook the pesto it will degrade, resulting in darker color and a more bitter flavor.
How to Make Pesto Risotto
Warm the chicken broth in a sauce pot over medium-low heat.
In a separate large sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent. Mix in the garlic and saute 1 minute. Add the rice and toast lightly for 2-3 minutes, or until transparent. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Stir in 1 ladle of broth and simmer over medium-low heat until the broth is absorbed. Add another ladle of broth and stir. Repeat the process as the broth is absorbed, stirring with each addition, until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Note, you may not use all of the broth.
Add the frozen peas to the risotto and warm for 1-2 minutes.
Remove the risotto from heat. Stir in the butter. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until melted and incorporated. Stir in the pesto sauce. Finish with additional salt and pepper, to taste, and top with fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!
How to Store
- Store – store pesto risotto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat –
- stovetop (for best results) – add the desired amount of risotto to a small pan and add a few spoonfuls of broth. Warm on medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring regularly. Add more broth, if needed, or even a spoonful of fresh pesto.
- microwave – add the desired amount of risotto to a microwave safe bowl and add a little bit of broth to the bowl. Heat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until warm.
Recipe Variations
- Protein – top this pesto with your favorite protein, like chicken, shrimp, pork chops, or steak. Pair with a naked a chicken burger or turkey burger patty.
- Grain – swap out arborio rice with orzo, brown rice, white rice, farro, or even couscous to change things up.
- Cheese – in place of Parmesan, try feta, blue cheese, Gorgonzola, or goat cheese.
- Vegetables – load this dish up with your favorite veggies, like sauted onions, green beans, or carrots, top with oven roasted asparagus or broccoli, or fold in kale or spinach for an extra dose of greens.
- Sauce – change up your pesto. While our go-to is pumpkin seed pesto, we’ll also try kale pesto, sundried tomato pesto, pistachio pesto, classic genovese pesto, or even roasted red pepper romesco.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, preheating the broth allows the rice grains to cook evenly. If you use cold or room temperature broth, the risotto will have cold spots and the grains will cook slower than the warmer grains.
Yes, orzo, farro, and brown or white rice are simple substitutions for arborio rice in risotto.
The slow addition of broth gives the rice time to completely absorb the liquid and slowly release its starches, which results in a creamy consistency.
The grains of rice should be tender but slightly firm when bitten, not mushy and not hard.
Traditional risotto is made with short-grain, starchy arborio or carnaroli rice, so it is not a pasta. It is also naturally gluten-free.
Check out our other pasta dishes
- Garlic orzo risotto
- Butternut squash risotto
- Steak and blue cheese risotto
- Sundried tomato pasta
- Avocado pesto pasta
- Roasted red pepper pasta
Pesto Risotto
Ingredients
- 6-8 cups low sodium or vegetable chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 12 oz arborio rice (about 1¾ cups)
- ½ tsp sea salt, more to taste
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper, more to taste
- 1 c frozen peas
- 1 Tbsp plant-based or reduced fat butter
- ½ c Parmesan cheese, grated
- â…“ c prepared pesto (we make pumpkin seed pesto)
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil, minced or thinly sliced
Instructions
- Warm the chicken broth in a sauce pot over medium-low heat.
- In a separate large sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent. Mix in the garlic and saute 1 minute. Add the rice and toast lightly for 2-3 minutes, or until transparent. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Stir in 1 ladle of broth and simmer over medium-low heat until the broth is absorbed. Add another ladle of broth and stir. Repeat the process as the broth is absorbed, stirring with each addition, until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Note, you may not use all of the broth.
- Add the frozen peas to the risotto and warm for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the risotto from heat. Stir in the butter. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until melted and incorporated. Stir in the pesto sauce. Finish with additional salt and pepper, to taste, and top with fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!
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