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
150 g bacon lardons
15 g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
200 g baby spinach
1 .2litre hot chicken stock
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400 g risotto rice
200 g fresh or frozen peas or petit pois
50 g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
150 g 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.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
