Lemon Risotto

This easy Lemon Risotto is a dish your whole family will love! Marrying the bright flavors of fresh lemon juice and zest with savory garlic and parmesan, it makes the perfect side dish, but can also easily be turned into a full meal with the addition of your favorite protein.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Entree, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy Risotto, Lemon Recipes, Risotto Recipes

Prep Time: 3

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 33

Makes: -6 servings

Author: Sues

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Ingredients

5 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
1 cup chopped onion (from about 1 small onion)
1 tablespoon garlic (from about 3 cloves)
1 ½ cups arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine (like pinot grigio)*
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
2 tablespoon fresh lemon zest, plus more for topping
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon minced parsley, plus more for topping
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Pour chicken or vegetable broth into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and keep broth warm.
In a separate larger saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes until starting to soften. Add garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
Add arborio rice to the saucepan and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring a bit, until it’s translucent around the edges.
Pour wine into saucepan and cook, stirring until it's absorbed, about 2 minutes.
Add 1 cup of the warmed broth to the rice. Stir and let the rice absorb the stock. Once the broth is absorbed, continue to add more, a cup at a time, stirring and letting it absorb before adding more. You don't have to stir non-stop, but stir occasionally to make sure rice doesn't start sticking to the bottom of your saucepan. Continue with the rest of the broth, or until the rice is nice and tender, but still firm (I usually use all 5 cups).
When rice is fully cooked, remove from heat and stir in remaining tablespoon butter, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Serve risotto in bowls and top with additional parmesan, lemon zest, and parsley.

Notes

If you don't have any wine or prefer not to include it, you can skip right to the next step. The wine does add a nice burst of bright acidity to the dish, but there's also plenty of acidity from the lemon.

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