Cheese Risotto is the BEST way to enjoy risotto and this Spring Pea & Goat Cheese Risotto is creamy, delicious, and an amazing easy dinner!

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We’re going to dive head first into this Spring Pea & Goat Cheese Risotto today because ^^^^^^!!!!!!! It’s EASILY one of the best things my kitchen has seen in a while and I want to eat it for every single meal. every. single. meal. Goat Cheese Risotto= LIFE!

Given my Italian heritage, I really want to do some more Italian cooking. We’re starting here with this risotto. Cheese Risotto is not something that I have made a lot in my life but I must say, I’m a huge fan! I learned the hard way that proper risotto rice is difficult to find in Nashville. I experimented with a few other medium grain rices but they just weren’t quit the same. I ended up looking to good ole Amazon (where half of everything in our house comes from) and ordered this seemingly authentic risotto rice.

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The packaging is in Italian and everything so I figure it must be good, right? Well, it is amazing! In fact, I’ve used it ALL up and need to order myself some more ASAP. And, just for the record. I’m 100% not being paid to promote this random brand of risotto. Although, if someone wants to send me a life supply of it, I wouldn’t complain one little bit ;)

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So, this risotto. We’ve established that the rice itself is delicious. Bacon and goat cheese are obviously always winners. Let’s just all go in our kitchens and make this risotto ASAP. mkay?

I read several risotto recipes with bacon in them and they had you cooking the bacon in with the rice. I tried that and, while it was okay, I MUCH prefer my bacon with a nice bit of a crunch to it. So, for this recipe, we’re going to bake (you could also fry) the bacon and then add it in at the last minute. This might not be the proper Italian way to make risotto but I’m only HALF Italian, so it makes sense that my dishes are as well.

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We start by sautéing the onion in a bit of butter before then adding in the rice to fry for just a minute. After the rice is starting to become translucent, a bit of white wine is poured in.

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The stock is then poured in one ladle full at a time so that the rice can absorb it before another ladle full is added in. Peas are eventually added and at the end, the cheese is stirred in.

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^That is literally making me drool. One day the internet will allow you to smell and taste things through your screen and when that day comes, life will be set.

Right before serving, we stir in most of the bacon and then top each individual plate with a bit more of the bacon and the remaining goat cheese (because there’s NO such thing as too much goat cheese and bacon!).

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What other Italian dishes should I tackle?? I REALLY like the idea of making obsessive amounts of fresh pasta (especially since I have so many fresh eggs lying around). To follow along with my Italian culinary adventures, follow me on snapchat!! (@bbritnell)

Don’t forget, if you make this Spring Pea & Goat Cheese Risotto, please let me know on Facebook or Instagram!

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Spring Pea & Goat Cheese Risotto

  • Author: B. Britnell
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 5–6 strips of thickly cut bacon
  • 4 cups of veggie stock
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1/2 of a sweet onion, finely chopped
  • 5 sprigs of fresh thyme, de-stemmed
  • 1 1/2 cups of risotto rice
  • 2/3 cup of white wine
  • heaping cup of peas (can be frozen)
  • s&p to taste
  • 4 ounces of goat cheese, divided
  • 3 ounces of parmesan, freshly grated

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. On a foil lined baking tray, line up the bacon so that no 2 pieces are touching each other. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until at your desired crispiness. Once out of the oven, set aside to cool.
  2. While the bacon is baking, you can begin the risotto.
  3. In a medium saucepan, heat the stock so that its just warmed through and at a VERY minimal simmer. Keep on the heat until needed.
  4. In a large pot, heat the butter until just melted and then add in the onion and thyme and cook until the onion is just translucent which is about 8 minutes.
  5. Turning up the heat a bit, add in the risotto rice and let cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently to let the rice get to the point that it’s almost frying and the rice becomes a bit translucent.
  6. Add in the wine and stir to combine. Turn the heat back down to a gentle simmer.
  7. Add in just one ladle full of the stock and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine and let simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat this until all of the stock has been added. When you add in your last ladle full of stock, stir in the peas.
  8. You can cook the risotto so that most/ all of the liquid has been absorbed OR you can stop cooking the risotto so that there’s a decent amount of liquid remaining. I cook most of the liquid out of mine.
  9. Once done, take off of the heat and stir in roughly 2/3 of the goat cheese and all of the parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is fully melted and combined. Stir in a bit of freshly ground black pepper if desired.
  10. Chop the bacon into bite size pieces and stir into the risotto. Reserving a bit of the bacon for topping if desired.
  11. Serve and top each dish with the remaining goat cheese and any remaining bacon. ENJOY!!!

Notes

Adapted from Jamie Oliver.

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes