The first bite of Super Green Risotto is like spring on a spoon. Creamy, comforting rice meets the vibrant punch of fresh herbs and leafy greens, making this dish feel both indulgent and wholesome. Perfectly balanced and deeply satisfying, it’s the sort of recipe that elevates simple ingredients with just a little bit of love and attention.
Whether you’re making it for a quiet dinner or to impress friends, Super Green Risotto proves that feel-good food doesn’t need to be complicated. It’s all about technique, timing, and good ingredients.
Table of Contents
- Ingredient Breakdown
- Choosing the Right Rice
- Stock Strategy: Temperature and Timing Matter
- The Gentle Art of Stirring Risotto
- Why the Green Purée Comes Last
- Finishing Touches
- Serving Suggestions
- More Risotto Recipes
Ingredient Breakdown
- Baby spinach: Adds colour and a mild, earthy flavour without overpowering the dish.
- Fresh basil leaves: Brings a sweet, aromatic lift and classic Italian character.
- Chives: Offer a delicate onion note and keep the flavour profile bright.
- Cold water: Helps blitz the greens into a smooth, pourable purée.
- Vegetable stock: Infuses the rice with depth and richness from the ground up.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Used for both cooking and finishing, adds fruitiness and body.
- Onion: Gently sautéed to create the flavour base.
- Garlic: Provides a fragrant backbone and sharpens the greens.
- Arborio or carnaroli rice: These short-grain varieties release starch slowly for a creamy finish.
- Dry white wine: Adds acidity and complexity to balance the richness.
- Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano: Savoury, salty cheese for that signature creamy risotto finish.
- Walnuts (optional): Chopped and sprinkled on top for crunch and contrast.
Choosing the Right Rice
Not all rice is suitable for risotto, and choosing the right one is key to achieving the creamy yet al dente texture. Arborio and Carnaroli are the most common varieties for risotto, but they behave slightly differently.
- Arborio is easier to find and releases more starch during cooking, making it ideal for that silky consistency. However, it can become mushy if overcooked, so keep a close eye on it.
- Carnaroli holds its shape better and is often a preference of chefs for its reliability and resilience to over-stirring.
Whichever you choose, avoid rinsing the rice beforehand, as that removes the surface starch essential to the dish. This starch thickens the broth as it’s absorbed, creating the velvety finish that defines Super Green Risotto.
Stock Strategy: Temperature and Timing Matter
Risotto relies on warm stock being added gradually, but many overlook just how important the stock’s temperature is. Cold or lukewarm stock shocks the rice and slows the cooking process, causing uneven texture and loss of creaminess. Keep your stock warm, simmering gently in a covered pot nearby so each ladleful blends in smoothly. This allows the rice to absorb liquid steadily and release starch at a consistent rate.
You’re not just adding moisture; you’re building flavour with every spoonful. Timing is also crucial. Wait until each addition is mostly absorbed before adding the next. Rushing it leads to soupy risotto, while going too slowly may cause sticking or dryness. With Super Green Risotto, this gentle layering is what allows the rice to cook evenly and take on that rich, glossy finish.
The Gentle Art of Stirring Risotto
Stirring risotto is often seen as a chore, but it’s also a meditative part of the process. You add stock, stir, and wait. The rhythm of this repetition transforms the rice slowly and steadily, releasing starch and developing that luxurious texture risotto is known for.
There’s no need to stand over it obsessively, but consistency helps. The goal is to keep the rice moving just enough to prevent sticking while encouraging the gradual softening of the grains. With Super Green Risotto, this stage takes about 20 minutes. You’ll know it’s time for the next step when the rice is almost tender, still holding a slight bite in the centre.
Why the Green Purée Comes Last
What makes Super Green Risotto so vibrant is the purée of spinach, basil and chives stirred in just before the end. Adding the greens at the last minute keeps their colour bright and their flavour fresh. If they were cooked from the start, they’d lose both. Instead, blending them raw with cold water preserves their natural vibrancy and creates a silken texture that folds effortlessly into the risotto.
Once stirred through, the greens coat the grains in a luminous green sheen. A few more minutes of gentle heat is all it takes to finish the cooking and fully integrate the flavour.
Finishing Touches
One of the most important but often skipped steps in risotto-making is the final rest. After the risotto comes off the heat, covering it for just a few minutes allows the rice to relax and the flavours to settle. It also helps the cheese melt slowly, blending with the olive oil into a creamy, cohesive whole.
This final moment transforms a good risotto into a great one. It’s worth the pause.
When you’re ready to serve, add a scattering of finely chopped walnuts for texture. They contrast beautifully with the creaminess of the rice, adding a nutty crunch that makes each bite more interesting.
Serving Suggestions
Super Green Risotto is satisfying on its own, but pairs well with a few simple sides. A crisp fennel and lemon salad cuts through the richness beautifully. For something heartier, roasted mushrooms or grilled asparagus bring a welcome earthiness.
This dish also makes a stunning first course for a spring dinner party. Its bold colour and silky texture always draw attention. Just portion a little smaller and follow with something lighter, like grilled fish or a herby lentil salad.
If you’re after variety, try stirring in peas or broad beans near the end of cooking. Their sweetness adds another dimension, and they reinforce that seasonal, green-on-green feel.
More Risotto Recipes
If you’ve enjoyed this Super Green Risotto recipe and are on the look for more to try your hand at, look no further!
- King Prawn Risotto: Packed with umami from homemade prawn stock, this risotto is simple yet deliciously rich and creamy.
- Saffron Risotto: This is my version of the great Milanese classic – it’s rich, creamy and absolutely delicious.
- Chorizo & Prawn Risotto: A classic risotto recipe, featuring everyone’s favourite – chorizo!
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto: A simple yet satisfying vegetarian main that gives a basic risotto a warm, autumnal twist
See how I make all these recipes and more over on my Instagram!
Super Green Risotto
This vibrant green spinach and herb risotto is perfect for welcoming in spring! It’s somehow both indulgent and incredibly fresh. For added greeny goodness, you can stir through some thawed frozen peas just before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
- Cuisine: Rice and Risotto
Ingredients
- 150 g baby spinach
- 30 g fresh basil leaves
- 20 g chives
- 200 ml cold water
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 400 g arborio or carnaroli rice
- 120 ml dry white wine
- 80 g grana padano or parmigiano reggiano
- Handful of walnuts, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Place the baby spinach, fresh basil leaves, chives and cold water in a blender and blitz until smooth, adding more water if necessary. Set aside.
- Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan over a high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cover; you want to keep the stock warm over very low heat.
- Heat a generous glug of extra-virgin olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and season with a generous pinch of sea salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and softened, around 7 to 10 minutes. You want the onion to cook gently without it taking on any colour.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.
- Turn the heat up to medium. Add the risotto rice and stir well to coat in the oniony/garlicky oil. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice begins to look slightly translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the white wine and cook, stirring frequently, until the pan is almost dry, 1 to 2 mins.
- Add one ladleful of stock and cook, stirring almost constantly, until the stock is fully absorbed. Add another ladleful of stock and cook, stirring almost constantly, until the stock is fully absorbed. Repeat this process until the rice is 80% cooked; it should be tender but with a slight bite. The whole process should take 20 to 25 mins. If you run out of stock before the rice is 80% cooked, add one ladleful of hot water at a time and cook, stirring frequently until absorbed, until the rice is tender with a bite to it.
- Add the spinach mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is fully cooked, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the grana padano and drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and stir well to combine. Cover the saucepan and allow the risotto to sit for 3 minutes before serving. You might be tempted to skip this step but don’t – this is when the risotto becomes deliciously creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- Divide the risotto between bowls, top with chopped walnuts and serve – enjoy!
