This pesto risotto with peas and baked salmon is the perfect weeknight summer dish that the whole family will love.
Disclosure: This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group ® and C&W ® , but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #premiumveggies http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
My kids absolutely love pesto, and it’s quickly become a staple in our house. It’s so easy just to throw over pasta for a quick weeknight dinner and makes for a perfectly healthy meal option for the kids.
I prefer to make it from scratch though, then I can throw a few extra things in there and they will never know the difference. They even loved the sundried tomato pesto I made a while back.
This meal is great because you can make the pesto ahead of time, make it in large quantities if you like and refrigerate it, or make a small batch in the morning as I did here, and then use it later in the evening when it’s time to make dinner.
And if you don’t have a lot of fresh ingredients on hand, you can use frozen vegetables to whip up this delicious dish, which is what I often do.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Arborio riceSalmon1 cup frozen peas1 cup frozen spinach1 cup basil leaves1/4 cup parsley2 tsp crushed garlic (for pesto) + 1 tsp (for risotto)zest and juice of 1 lemon + lemon wedges for serving1 carton vegetable stock (approx 1 liter)3 tbs olive oil (pesto) + 2 tbs (salmon) + 1 tbs (risotto)salt & pepperShaved or grated Parmesan for serving
Instructions
PESTO
- Cook peas and spinach in water according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Add half the peas to a food processor, along with the spinach, basil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Blend until combined.
- Refrigerate your pesto for later, or use immediately.
RISOTTO
- Heat olive oil in a large pan and add the garlic. Toss in the Arborio rice and stir until completely coated in oil.
- Add 1 cup of vegetable stock at a time, stirring constantly until completely absorbed before adding the next cup until the risotto is cooked. It will probably take around 20 minutes in total.
- Pop the frozen green beans into the water and cook according to the package directions while the risotto is cooking.
- Once the risotto is cooked, stir in the pesto, add the rest of the peas and the green beans.
- Transfer to a serving dish and top with salmon and serve with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese and lemon wedges.
SALMON
- Brush the salmon with oil, season with salt and pepper and bake on foil in a baking dish in the oven on 425F for about 15 minutes until it flaked with a fork.
Make sure you add C&W Vegetables to your shopping list and don’t forget to take advantage of the $.50 off of 1 package of C&W vegetables Ibotta coupon good at select Walmart stores. (while supplies last)
You can find C&W Vegetables at Walmart, which is where I did my shoppin
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