Citrus infused creamy arborio rice is tossed with fresh spring peas and Meyer lemon dijon roasted radishes. Topped with crumbly bacon and freshly grated parmesan, this is pea and radish risotto is spring comfort food at its best!

This pea and radish risotto was originally an old post, from like week 3 of blogging back in 2011.

It was the same week that I got my first “real” camera and there were no less than 20 pictures in this post, all horrific, as I played around with depth of field with a bowl of horribly styled risotto on the floor in my dining room thinking that was where the “best light” was.

Oh vey.

Citrus infused creamy arborio rice is tossed with fresh spring peas and Meyer lemon dijon roasted radishes. Topped with crumbly bacon and freshly grated parmesan, this is risotto is spring comfort food at its best!
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Spring time produce popping up everywhere made me think back to this post (because despite the pictures, the recipe was pretty good!) and how it deserved a makeover.

See also:
A Guide to Spring Vegetables – Radishes
A Guide to Spring Vegetables – Peas

I decided to do things a little differently this time around by roasting the radishes with some Meyer lemons and dijon mustard instead of simply slicing them raw.

Spring time radishes are roasted and added to this creamy pea risotto.

If your radish bunch comes with the greens attached like this one – don’t throw them away!

Make radish greens pesto for another meal instead. It’s great tossed with pasta or used as a sauce with meats.

Radishes roasted with olive oil, lemon and mustard are a delicious addition to this spring pea risotto.

Roasted radishes taste nothing like raw ones.

Like to the point where Ulysses was eating the leftovers of this at work and came home asking what those “potato looking things” were in the risotto because he couldn’t identify them.

The taste is a million times better roasted than raw in my opinion so it was a no brainer to change the recipe up this time around.

Bright spring flavors burst in your mouth with each bite of this pea and radish risotto!

It bothers me that risotto gets this reputation of being difficult or time consuming.

It’s neither, people.

You put rice in a pot, you slowly add liquid, you stir here and there and continue until it’s cooked.

This takes you all of 25-30 minutes and you have a creamy (the more stirring, the creamier it gets!) bowl of carb-filled deliciousness ready for any and all mix-ins you want.

In this case, fresh shelled spring peas (you can totally use frozen ones though too), lemon dijon roasted radishes, bright parsley and crispy bacon.

Of course, there’s cheese as well, but that’s a given with risotto.

The more, the merrier.

Creamy risotto meets bright lemon and mustard roasted radishes and fresh spring peas in this seasonal comfort food recipe.

I think comfort food mistakenly gets associated with winter only. This pea and radish risotto proves otherwise though.

It’s definitely spring in every bite but it’s pure comfort food at the same time.

Kind of perfect for those bright, sunny, almost bordering warm spring days that are still accompanied by cold nights.

The perfect “in between season” kind of food for when it’s not quite grilling weather but you’re sort of ready to retire the heavy cream based soups, meaty stews and everything else winter makes you crave.

And to kick off the spring season, here’s a round up of 4 more healthy spring produce focused recipes from some of my blogging friends:

Healthy Spring Recipes

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats – Food Faith Fitness
Wake up to dessert for breakfast with these protein packed, gluten free carrot cake overnight oats! They’re an easy, healthy breakfast for under 300 calories!

Leek and Potato Pan Roast – Cotter Crunch
This Seasonal Pan Roast is packed with Leeks, Potatoes, and Steamed Greens! Super flavorful, healthy, and easy to make in one pan! A paleo/vegan side dish perfect for any gathering. Whole 30 friendly!

Grain Free Waffles with Homemade Strawberry Jam – Fit Foodie Finds
Looking for an all-purpose grain free waffle that tastes like the real deal? You are going to swoon over these almond flour waffles made with an almond flour + coconut flour base topped with a homemade strawberry chia compote! They’re paleo, gluten free, and meal-prep friendly!

Sausage and Spring Veggie Pasta – Lexi’s Clean Kitchen
This Sausage and Spring Vegetable Pasta is my go-to gluten-free dish for a quick weeknight meal or for entertaining. It’s delicious, serves a crowd, is easy to prepare, and is made using only ONE POT!

And of course, my Spring Pea and Radish Risotto!

Comfort food isn't just for winter, try a bowl of this pea and radish risotto for some cozy spring inspired deliciousness!

Happy spring, guys!

Love risotto? Check out my vegan mushroom risotto and this white bean farro risotto too!

Love this spring pea and radish risotto recipe?

Try Roasted Radishes with Rosemary and Honey and  Peach and Radish Salad with Crispy Prosciutto!

Risotto with asparagus and peas is another lovely spring recipe to try as well.

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5 from 1 vote

Spring Pea and Radish Risotto

Servings: 4 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Citrus infused creamy arborio rice is tossed with fresh spring peas and Meyer lemon dijon roasted radishes. Topped with crumbly bacon and freshly grated parmesan, this is pea and radish risotto is spring comfort food at its best!
Citrus infused creamy arborio rice is tossed with fresh spring peas and meyer lemon dijon roasted radishes. Topped with crumbly bacon and freshly grated parmesan, this is risotto is spring comfort food at its best!

Ingredients 

For the risotto:

  • 2 slices bacon
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 2 tablespoons red wine
  • 32 ounces vegetable or chicken broth
  • 8 ounces fresh spring peas, (frozen peas will also work)
  • juice of 1/2 a Meyer lemon, (or regular lemon)
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus more for serving
  • sea salt for garnish

For the roasted radishes:

  • 1 bunch radishes, cleaned, trimmed and quartered
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • zest of 1 Meyer lemon, (or regular lemon)
  • juice of 1/2 a Meyer lemon, (or regular lemon)
  • salt & pepper

Instructions 

For the risotto:

  • Place the chicken broth in a medium sauce pot over low heat to keep warm.
  • Place a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add bacon and cook until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain reserving the grease in the pot.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots to the pot, cooking until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the rice, toss to coat in the bacon fat and shallot mixture and “toast” the rice in the pot for about 1 minute.
  • Add the wine and stir until it cooks off. Reduce heat to medium-low.
  • Add a few ladles of the warm chicken broth to the pot with the rice so that the broth just covers the top of the rice. Stir frequently and continue adding broth as the rice absorbs it until the broth is all gone and/or the rice is cooked.
  • Add the peas, lemon juice, parmesan and parsley and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon into serving dishes and top with the roasted radishes, crumble the reserved cooked bacon on top and garnish with additional parmesan, parsley and sea salt.

For the roasted radishes:

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Toss radishes with the olive oil, mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl and spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Roast for 20-30 minutes, tossing occasionally until crispy around the edges and fork tender in the middle while you make the risotto. Radishes should be done right as risotto is finishing up. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1SERVINGCalories: 362kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 13gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 909mgFiber: 12gSugar: 26g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: American
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Founder and Writer at Running to the Kitchen | About

Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.

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