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Sharing a quick and easy no stir Brie Risotto with Lemon Butter Asparagus. This simple Brie risotto is made in under an hour, requires very little stirring, and is a great way to use pantry staples and fresh springtime asparagus. It’s creamy, garlicky, swirled with melty Brie cheese, and finished with lemon butter asparagus and fresh herbs. Perfect cozy, early spring dinner or easy side, any night of the week. Everyone in the house will enjoy this dish. Added bonus? This risotto can easily be made in the Instant Pot as well!
Times are weird and a little scary right now, but thankfully we have cooking and baking to keep us sane. I made this risotto before things really got crazy last week and we settled into “hibernate” mode. But this dish is perfect for our current times. Not only does this recipe require a base of pantry staples, but it’s easy to create and incorporates spring asparagus. It’s cozy meets light and springy!
But most importantly? This is DELICIOUS and the perfect Monday night recipe. As crazy as this might sound, this is my first official risotto recipe I’ve ever shared here on HBH. It’s hard to believe, I know, but for the longest time, I steered away from sharing a risotto recipe. Personally, I don’t have any interest in standing at the stove for an hour stirring, you know? It’s just not my thing.
But then, I thought about it and I figured I’d challenge myself to come up with a better way to make risotto. A version that was still creamy, but required less stirring or even no stirring. That’s when this risotto recipe was developed. Did it take a few trial runs? Yes, of course.
Was it worth it? YES. So worth it.
Here are the details.
This recipe comes together using only two pans, one for the risotto and one for the asparagus. Start with the risotto, it’s simple and easy and very straight forward. Cook a little garlic together with a touch of butter and a bit of olive oil. Add the rice, let that get a little toasted, then sir in some dry white wine. If you don’t like to cook with wine, use an equal amount of apple cider or juice. Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add chicken or vegetable broth and be sure to season everything with salt.
Now, cover the pot and let the rice cook for about fifteen minutes. No stirring, just let the rice cook. Yes, promise it’s going to work.
Once the risotto has cooked, remove the lid and add one additional cup of broth, plenty of lemon juice, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. This step is KEY. Once you add the broth, you stir, but only a few minutes until most of the broth has absorbed into the risotto making it creamy. Stirring at the end of cooking allows the rice to get creamy and is a quarter of the work.
As you’re stirring, smells of garlic and parmesan will quickly hit your nose.
It’s wonderful…but you’re not done just yet. It’s going to get better. Add the brie, stirring until melted. Remove from the heat and serve topped with that buttery, lemony asparagus. And please, eat immediately. This is meant to be on the brothy side, meaning there should still be broth around the risotto. The risotto will soak up the broth as it sits so enjoy it right away. It will be…
Oh. So. Good.
For the Instant Pot variation, simply cook on high pressure for five minutes, then follow all of the above steps, but using the sauté setting. It’s easier than you could ever imagine.
Let’s talk about the asparagus.
As the risotto is cooking, make the asparagus. Simply cook together a little butter, garlic, lemon, and fresh asparagus until caramelized. Add plenty of fresh thyme, salt, and black pepper.
It’s simple, yet bright and flavorful at the same time. The perfect spring topping for a creamy Brie risotto.
Want to switch things up?
The number of ways you can top and serve this risotto are endless. In the spring, I recommend asparagus, artichokes, or peas. In the summer, try burst cherry tomatoes, zucchini, or sautéed corn. Come fall, swap the asparagus for heartier mushrooms or roasted butternut squash. And in the winter, add an herby lemony olive dressing along with roasted broccoli.
If you’d like to make this a little heartier, try adding a fried or soft boiled egg.
Alternately, if you’d like to serve this as a side, that works great too. I’d recommend my favorite herby roasted chicken, this colorful sheet pan salmon, a simple roasted chicken, or even a grilled steak. Any of these would be delicious paired when with this.
Lastly, if you somehow don’t enjoy Brie cheese (then we can’t be friends…just kidding…but who doesn’t enjoy Brie?), you can use additional parmesan or your favorite melty cheese.
Alright. And I think that is all I got for you guys today.
It certainly doesn’t feel like your average Monday, so I’m hoping this no stir Brie Risotto brings you some much-needed joy. And if you’re not going into work and your kids are out of school, let’s just take this very strange time and spend it in the kitchen. Sound good?
Cool. Great. Happy Monday night cooking guys!!
If you make this no stir brie risotto with lemon butter asparagus, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
No Stir Brie Risotto with Lemon Butter Asparagus
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 534 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth plus additional as needed
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 cups Japanese sushi rice or arborio rice
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces Brie, rind removed and cubed
- 1 bunch asparagus, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Warm the broth until steaming. 2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot set over medium-high heat. Add 2 cloves garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rice, cook until lightly golden and toasted, 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and 1 teaspoon salt, continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the wine has absorbed into the rice. Stir in 5 cups warm broth and bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. 3. Once done cooking, stir in the remaining 1 cup broth, the lemon juice, and parmesan, stirring until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Add the Brie chunks, stir, then remove from the heat. If the risotto thickens up on you, add additional warm broth to thin. It should be creamy, but with just a touch of liquid. Taste, and season with salt. 4. While the risotto cooks, make the asparagus. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 clove garlic, the lemon zest and thyme, cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. 5. To serve, divide the risotto in bowls and spoon the asparagus over top. Season with fresh pepper. Enjoy!
Instant Pot
- 1. Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 cloves garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rice, cook until lightly golden and toasted, 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and 1 teaspoon salt, continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the wine has absorbed into the rice. Turn the instant pot off. Stir in 5 cups warm broth. Cover and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.2. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function. Set the instant pot to sauté. Stir in the remaining 1 cup broth, the lemon juice, and parmesan, stirring until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Add the Brie chunks, stir, then turn the instant pot off. If the risotto thickens up on you, add additional warm broth to thin. It should be creamy, but with just a touch of liquid. 3. Finish as directed above.
Just made this and it was delishes!
Had every intention of taking a picture and post it online with a # i have been cooking from your site for years and always forget to take a picture and this time too we finished our plates before i thought of it.??♀️
Definityly making this recipe again.
Hey Ruth,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Another winner from your website – thank you! I added some Alaskan spot prawns to the risotto and it was a huge hit. Thank you!
Hey Amy,
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a go! I am thrilled it was enjoyed. xTieghan
Hi Teighan,
Would love to make this for dinner tonight, but was wondering if there are any steps I can make ahead earlier in the day? I will be attempting the Instantpot version.
Thank you!
Hey Dee,
There really isn’t much to prep in advance, I would follow the recipe as is:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
LOVE! I have made this twice for my family and it was a hit both times.
Hey Sara,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I’m so excited to try this tonight, will use feta since this is in my fridge. I would think if one would not want to eat Risotto you would just avoid the Risotto recipe:)
Love that! I hope this turns out amazing for you, Samantha!! xTieghan
I am planning to make this dish for the family and they don’t like brie cheese – is there a different cheese you would recommend that would also taste good? Thank you!
Hey Vidisha,
Any other soft cheese that your family enjoys will work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I really like this!! Until now, I’ve always cooked rice very soft and never really liked risotto in restaurants because of it being al dente but I followed this recipe to a T and I love it! The rice is al dente but it has this nutty quality that I love! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Thank you for trying this one, Kimberly! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This risotto is SO GOOD! You have converted me, I was always one to pass on a risotto in favor of a meat or pasta dish, but this recipe hits all the right notes and is so satisfying you don’t want to eat anything else. I made it with crispy mushrooms and I really recommend it, I am even going to serve it at a dinner party this week because I loved it so much!
Ah I am so happy you loved this, Kira! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
DELICIOUS!! Eating it right now and it’s so so GOOD! Another hit by Half Baked Harvest. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!! ?
Thank you Lily!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Oh. My. Gosh. I’m in love! I picked this recipe for this week’s dinner line up without knowing my husband hates brie. We were out of rice and white wine, so we went with couscous and more broth. My hubby got seconds, thirds, and then finished off my plate! This was absolutely a winner.
Amazing! I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you, Amber! xTieghan
Glad I tried it, but the flavors aren’t for me! The dish came out great – and I do have to say that the no-stir method of making risotto made the creamiest, best-consistency risotto I’d ever made. But I think the combination of brie with lemon just wasn’t my favorite. Tangy cheese with tangy lemon was just too much tang.
My advice to others making this would be to definitely make twice the amount of asparagus listed in the recipe!
Hi! I am really glad the risotto turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying this one. I hope some other recipes of mine are more to your liking! xTieghan
Love this recipe! It has become a weeknight staple in our house. Super easy and so creamy & comforting. Thanks for another fantastic recipe! Keep the instant pot recipes coming 🙂
Thank you so much Kelsey!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This risotto was delicious. It was very cheesy and easy to make. We didn’t end up adding the cup of broth at the end because it was a little soupier than we wanted. Would definitely recommend and make again.
Thank you so much Gina! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
I’ve made this twice and I love it so much. So glad to see that you offered sushi rice as an option for making risotto. I used to use sushi rice for risotto all the time. Can hardly tell the difference between it and short grain Italian rice like Arborio and Canaroli. I garnished with red pepper flakes and basil. So yum! I love your unique usages for Brie cheese. I would never have thought to add it to a risotto but it works quite well!
Love that! I am really glad this turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
Amazing!!!!
Thank you Julie! xTieghan