The lardons give this a salty richness but for a meat-free version, just leave them out, swap the chicken stock for vegetable and use an Italian-style vegetarian hard cheese in place of the Parmesan.
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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
45 mins
Cook Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Cal/Serv:
669
Ingredients
150g
bacon lardons
15g
butter
1
onion, finely chopped
200g
baby spinach
1
.2litre hot chicken stock
2
garlic cloves, crushed
400g
risotto rice
200g
fresh or frozen peas or petit pois
50g
Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
150g
ricotta
Directions
Step 1Heat a large, deep frying pan over high heat and fry
lardons until golden, about
5min. Remove to a plate
using a slotted spoon.
Reduce heat to low-medium,
add butter and
once melted, fry onion for
5min, until slightly softened.
Step 2Meanwhile, whizz
the spinach and stock
in a blender (or using a
stick blender and large
bowl or jug), in batches if
needed, until fairly smooth.
Step 3Stir garlic into onion pan
and fry for 1min, then add
rice and cook, stirring, for
1min. Gradually add the
spinach-stock mixture, a
ladleful at a time, stirring
constantly, adding the next
ladleful once the previous
one has been absorbed – it
should take about 20min.
Step 4Stir in peas/petits pois
and cook for a couple of
min, until warmed through,
then stir in the Parmesan;
check seasoning. Top
with the bacon lardons,
ricotta and a little extra
Parmesan, then serve.
Chorizo would also work very nicely in place of the bacon lardons in this recipe.
If you prefer a more bitter and earthier taste to your risotto, try subbing the spinach out for cavolo nero leaves.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
