Leek, Bacon, and Pea Risotto
- Comments()
- Prep Time 40 minutes
- Total Time 40 minutes
- Yield Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 leeks, white and light-green parts only
- 12 cups (96 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into strips
- 2 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup frozen peas (optional)
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
Directions
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Halve leeks lengthwise; rinse thoroughly. Pat dry; thinly slice. In a saucepan, bring broth to a simmer over medium. Meanwhile, in a large, straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium, stirring, until lightly browned but not crisp, 5 minutes. Add leeks; cook, stirring, until softened, 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add rice and cook, stirring, until translucent around edges, 1 minute.
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Add wine and stir until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup broth. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until broth is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Repeat process, gradually adding broth, until rice is al dente and risotto is creamy (you may not need all the broth), about 35 minutes. Stir in peas (if using) after the final addition of broth.
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Remove skillet from heat and stir in Parmesan. Cover and let stand 2 minutes. Season risotto with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Reserve half the risotto (about 4 cups) in refrigerator for risotto cakes. Serve remaining risotto with Parmesan.
I have made this several times now after being recommended it by my best friend, who is also an Everyday subscriber. It was become one of my top 3 favorite recipes. And the cakes with the risotto leftovers are also amazing! My mouth waters when thinking about it. It's easy, fun to make, healthy, and soooo creamy and delicious!
Seven cups of broth is plenty. Also, it took ages to thicken until I raised the heat. Only then did it start to thicken in about 2 minutes after the addition of the cup of broth. Also, more bacon wouldn't hurt:)
This recipe tasted great! It was my first time making risotto and it turned out fabulously. One bit of an note, you only need about HALF of the recommended chicken broth to bring this risotto to "al dente" Any more than 6-7 cups and you are wasting broth. I would thaw the peas and then add them with the Parmesan cheese too to prevent it from over cooking.