It’s been a while since I’ve done a risotto post and this is such a great one for spring! I love how versatile this dish is, we’re always adapting it depending on what season it is and what ingredients we have around the kitchen. This version combines the earthy flavors of carrot juice with the bright and bold kick of fresh lemon juice added in at the end of the cooking process!  This is a wonderful vegetarian side dish, or you can add your favorite protein (see what we use at the end of the post… ham and bacon would also be perfect) to make this a full meal! 

Make a basic risotto following my post found HERE. The only change is that instead of adding a final ladle of broth at the end, you’ll add 2/3 cup pure carrot juice and 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice. Add in the parmesan cheese and the butter as directed in the basic recipe but also add 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest too. 

As I mentioned at the top of the post, you can serve this as is for a great vegetarian side dish, or you can add a protein to make this a full dish. Stir in pan fried ham or bacon, or do what we did… make the lemon-thyme pan fried chicken cutlets from THIS post and serve over the risotto. The lemon and thyme in the cutlets are a match-made-in-heaven with this risotto!