This easy pea and bacon risotto uses simple, everyday ingredients to create a delicious and creamy risotto at home that is perfect for a cosy weeknight meal. This dairy free and gluten free recipe is sure to be a go-to for busy nights, no matter the season.
This recipe is part of my budget-friendly meal series and comes in at approximately $2.63 per serve!
I love making and eating risotto at home. It’s a simple, delicious and comforting dish but I am going to go ahead and blame growing up watching cooking shows on TV for why I don’t make it more often.
These cooking shows allowed me to believe that it was near impossible to make a good risotto at home, and that even by attempting it we would be destined to fail. And while this added drama to the show, it really has done the opposite of what I think these shows should have been doing, which was actually encouraging us to try new recipes and get inspired to cook more at home.
So that’s what I am doing today. This is not going to be the most fancy, restaurant quality risotto recipe that exists but it’s so comforting, made with simple everyday ingredients, and yes it’s really easy to make!
Please do not be intimidated by making risotto at home. Yes we need to do some stirring but it’s actually not that bad (why was I so against this for years?), and the result is so worth it because you get a deliciously creamy rice dish that is also completely dairy free and gluten free!
If you’re wanting the comfort of risotto but need something more hand-off, then try this oven-baked chicken risotto, or this pressure cooker mushroom risotto. And if you’re in need of a staple vegan or vegetarian version, you definitely need to make the mushroom risotto recipe from my ebook!
Key Ingredients
This is a basic stove-top risotto recipe made using everyday ingredients that I think a lot of people will already be buying each week in their grocery shop, but you can also feel free to customise the add-ins and create other risotto flavours using this base recipe.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Bacon – you can use any bacon you like. I’ve used short cut bacon as that’s what was on sale this week, but middle bacon or even streaky bacon all works well in this recipe. You can also use diced leftover ham instead.
- Chicken stock – you can use pre-bought stock, homemade stock, or dissolve some stuck cubes in water first. Just check your ingredients to ensure your stock is gluten free if necessary.
- Dairy free butter – adds extra richness to the flavour of the risotto but you can use olive oil if you prefer.
- Onion – use a small brown onion or half a large one, or even use a couple of shallots instead. This gives the base of the risotto a really savoury flavour that’s essential in this simple dish.
- Arborio rice – this short-grain Italian rice is the essential ingredient for making risotto as you wont get the same creamy result with regular rice.
- Frozen peas – honestly I think peas are such an under-rated ingredient! They add flavour, texture and nutritional boost to this risotto.
- Lemon – the lemon is optional but addition of both the zest and juice adds a delicious freshness that works so well with the bacon and peas.
Step-By-Step Instructions
There really isn’t much prep needed for this recipe – just finely dicing an onion and chopping up the bacon.
Once that’s done, start by cooking the bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until starting to crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving any residual oil in the pan to help flavour the risotto.
You can also add a saucepan on a low heat on another burner and add in the chicken stock to keep it warm.
Add the pan you cooked the bacon in back to the heat and melt the dairy free butter. Add in the onion, cooking it until soft. You can start to scrape up any leftover bacon bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add in the arborio rice and give it a good stir to fully combine with the onion and butter. Allow it to cook for a couple of minutes until the grains look slightly translucent.
From here, I like to set a timer for 20 minutes and begin adding the warm stock, one ladleful at a time. After each addition, stir the risotto and ensure all of the liquid has been absorbed before adding in the next. You should take the full 20 minutes to incorporate all of the liquid into the rice.
💡 Tip: Always use warm stock when making risotto. It keeps the cooking temperature steady, helps the rice cook evenly, and creates the creamy texture risotto is known for.
Once the rice is tender and creamy, add in the frozen peas and the cooked bacon. Give it a good mix to combine and heat the peas through. Season the risotto with the lemon zest and juice and salt and pepper.
Serve the risotto into bowls or plates, topped with fresh parsley if you like and extra lemon wedges.
💲 Budget Tips
- Bacon is a great thing to buy in bulk and store in the freezer in portions when it’s on sale as it can be added to so many different meals to add flavour. Try using it in my budget-friendly fried rice recipe to make it stretch further!
- Frozen vegetables like frozen peas again are a great staple to always keep on hand in the freezer to be added into meals or to serve as a quick side dish with your favourite protein such as a slow roasted lamb shoulder or air fryer roast chicken.
- One of the best ways to reduce food waste and keep costs down is to make your own stock. Save the bones from roast chicken and keep a bag of vegetable scraps (like onion ends, carrot peels, celery leaves, and herb stems) in the freezer. Once you’ve collected enough, simmer everything in a large pot with water, a few peppercorns, and a bay leaf for a couple of hours. Strain and store your homemade stock in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze it in portions for easy use.
Recipe FAQs
Add the cooled risotto to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of water if needed to bring back some of the creaminess.
Risotto has the best texture when eaten fresh, but you can freeze leftovers if needed. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Allow to defrost before reheating or heat from frozen in the microwave, adding a splash of water if needed to bring back some of the creaminess.
Yes it is, however it’s always best to double check the ingredients you’re using to be completely sure.
Check that the chicken stock is labelled gluten free, as some store-bought brands can contain wheat-based thickeners or flavourings. Also, most bacon is gluten free, but it’s always a good idea to check the packaging to ensure there are no added flavourings or preservatives that contain gluten.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More easy weeknight recipes:
20 Minute Bow Tie Pasta
Vegetable Fritters
Easy Chicken Fried Rice
20 Minute Cashew Chicken and Broccoli
Easy Pea and Bacon Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 200 grams bacon diced
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons dairy free butter
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1 ½ cups arborio rice
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Chopped parsley and extra lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced bacon and cook for 5–6 minutes until golden and starting to crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving any bacon fat in the pan.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a simmer. Keep it warm over low heat.
- Add the dairy free butter to the same pan you cooked the bacon in and allow it to melt. Add in the finely diced onion and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Stir in the arborio rice and cook for 1–2 minutes, until the grains look slightly translucent around the edges.
- Begin adding the warm chicken stock a ladleful at a time, stirring often and waiting for each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. Continue this process for about 20–25 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy.
- Stir through the frozen peas and cooked bacon. Cook for another 3–4 minutes until the peas are heated through. Add the lemon juice and zest, then season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Spoon the risotto into bowls and top with chopped parsley and extra lemon wedges, if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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