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.

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 (<– sweet baby J, I freaking love that mustard) instead of simply slicing them raw.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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!

Happy spring, guys!

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

Love my spring pea and radish risotto recipe?

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