Asiago Lemon Risotto with Grilled Garlic Asparagus.
This lemon risotto with asparagus is a lovely spring dish! Asiago cheese and parmesan give the lemon risotto a rich flavor. The asparagus is grilled and drizzled with garlic olive oil. Serve with fresh herbs for a beautiful meal!
Does this plate scream spring, or what?!
This dish is sure to be a showstopper on your Easter table. It can be a wonderful side dish or even the main entree if you’re hosting a meatless holiday. Add it to your menu and it will bring so much comforting brightness to the meal.
Of course, it’s not JUST for the spring holiday. This would be fab for dinner tonight, whether it’s your side or your main dish. You could toss a few more veggies into the risotto if you’d like (peas! carrots!) to bulk it up or even chop up the asparagus and stir it in.
P.S. I promise this is one of the final super lemony recipes I have for the season. I know it’s been a bit of lemon overkill over here. What can I say? I got a bit overzealous with my love for spring recipes and couldn’t wait to share. They all just ended up so delicious. All of this fresh lemon dishes bring an element of hope in the new season!
In our house, if you serve anything on top of risotto, it will be eaten. It’s safe to say that we are huge risotto fans over here. I’m sure you’ve noticed since I have loads of recipes for risotto – basically for any season or holiday you’d like.
Risotto gets a bad wrap for being a big high maintenance. And while it does take longer than microwaving a 90 second bag of rice, it’s more than worth it. It’s one of those dishes that also becomes easier the more often you make it.
Risotto reminds me of the dishes that my grandma used to make. The best way to judge when your risotto is ready? By feeling it and tasting it. By “feeling,” I mean the way the rice feels when you stir it with a spatula. Is it creamy, is it hydrated? This is something you will learn as you make risotto over and over.
By tasting it, you’ll know if the rice is cooked to perfection (I still like a tiny bit of chew) as well as if the dish needs more seasoning. I season everything in our house by tasting. Everything!
This lemon risotto is classic and delicious. I like to use a lot of asiago cheese which tends to be super sharp and nutty. It brings so much flavor to the dish. I also throw in a sprinkle of parmesan to balance things out.
Tons of fresh herbs – basil, chives and parsley are my favorite here, but I’ll even get crazy and add a touch of dill. And of course, lots of lemon zest! I’ve done a lemon chicken risotto before and I have to say that the lemon zest is the key to flavor here.
While the risotto cooks, I toss my asparagus on the grill. I like to grill it then drizzle with garlic olive oil for lots of flavor. Serve it on top of the lemon risotto and this flavor combination is out of this world.
A sprinkle of parmesan or more asiago, plus a fresh herb shower makes this a pretty dish.
And it’s tastes heavenly too! It’s like a lemon pasta with grilled vegetables, but a bit more fancy and special. We love it!
Lemon Risotto with Asparagus
Asiago Lemon Risotto with Grilled Garlic Asparagus
Ingredients
asiago lemon risotto
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 ½ cups arborio rice
- ¾ cup dry white wine, like sauvignon blanc
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 ounces freshly grated asiago cheese
- 2 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley, rosemary, dill or chives
grilled garlic asparagus
- 2 pounds asparagus spears
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- kosher salt and pepper
- parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to the highest setting for the asparagus. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet. Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and minced garlic for the asparagus in a saucepan over low heat until warm. Remove from the heat and let sit until the dish is finished. I like to grill the asparagus while the risotto is cooking.
- Heat the stock in a saucepan until hot.
- In another large saucepan or pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Stir in the garlic with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the rice. Cook, stirring often, to toast the rice for 3 to 5 minutes. The rice should be translucent.
- Once the rice is translucent, stir in the white wine (or you can just use extra stock). Cook until the wine has been absorbed. Add 1 cup of the warm stock, stirring continuously, until the stock is absorbed. Repeat again with 1 cup of stock, stirring until absorbed. Repeat this process with another 2 to 3 cups of the stock, until the rice is creamy and al dente. You want it to appear “hydrated” – and want there to be some liquid left when serving. This process should take about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Stir in the butter until melted. Stir in the asiago and parmesan cheese until melted. Stir in the lemon zest and herbs. Taste the rice and season it with salt and pepper as needed. This will depend on how salty your cheese is, so I suggest adding as much as you need.
- While the risotto is cooking or still warm, grill the asparagus. I like to spray mine with a quick olive oil spray all over, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the asparagus spears directly on the grill (in the opposite direction of how the grates run, so they don’t fall through the cracks!). Grill for 5 to 6 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the spears are slightly charred. Remove the asparagus and drizzle with the garlic olive oil. Sprinkle on parmesan.
- Serve the risotto with the asparagus spears on top. You can drizzle the entire thing with extra garlic olive oil if you wish! Fresh herbs make a nice garnish too.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
This is like cozy sunshine in a bowl!
7 Comments on “Asiago Lemon Risotto with Grilled Garlic Asparagus.”
def not annoyed by so many lemon recipes – it’s the time for it! this looks so good!
Yumm, Yumm and triple Yumm! Great recipe and simply delicious. Risotto in my house, due to the time commitment, is a good of love. When my hubby saw we were having risotto, with the striped bass he caught yesterday, his first words were “Yowza- u must love me!” Thx for the great recipe!
Wow! It looks so good. I’m sure this is gonna be very refreshing. Just learnt your whole recipe and I’m so excited to share this with my kids and hubby. They would love it.
Thanks for sharing!
I think risotto and lemon make the perfect couple!
Miki x
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I made this for Easter! I subbed goat gouda for the asiago but otherwise kept it the same. Delish! My four-year old ate three helpings!
Interesting procedure. I regularly make risotto and have never considered “toasting” the rice in olive oil before adding the wine/broth ingredients. It seems to me there would be far too much rice and may burn? Am I missing something? I would like to try this different step but want to ensure I’m reading it correctly.
Nice recipe for a diet menu. Thanks
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