Ham and Pea Risotto

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS.

Sharing is caring!

One of my favourite ways to enjoy leftover Christmas ham is in this Pea Risotto, this recipe is a baked risotto loaded with sweet peas and succulent savoury ham.

A bowl of kakhki green risotto studded with green peas and chunks of pink ham in a ceramic bowl with wooden spoon.

Why This Recipe Works

  • An oven-baked risotto, no stirring or standing at the stove-top
  • A delicious way to use up leftover ham when you just can't face another ham sandwich.
  • Loaded with peas both pureed and whole


Ingredients you will need

  • olive oil
  • onion
  • garlic
  • arborio rice
  • thyme
  • chicken or vegetable stock
  • diced ham
  • frozen peas
  • parmesan cheese
The ingredients to make pea risotto with ham laid out on a marble bench top

Ingredient Notes and Substitutes

  • Olive oil: This can be substituted for butter
  • Onion: this can be substituted for shallots or finely sliced leeks.
  • Ham: if you don't have leftover ham you can use bacon, sausage or chorizo.


Step-by-step instructions

Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my Ham and Pea Risotto recipe, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.

Preparation:

Heat the chicken stock. This can be done on the stovetop or in a microwave. You want the stock to be hot but not quite boiling

Blend one cup of the frozen peas with one cup of the stock to make a pea puree. (if you are using a bullet type non vented blender then you should do this with cold stock) 

Finely dice the onion

Cube the ham

Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 350 Fahrenheit

Peas floating  in stock in the glass jug of a blender.

Step one: Use a large oven proof dish or pan that has a lid. Start by heating the oil on the stove top

Step two: Add finely onion, garlic and ham, and sautรฉ until the vegetables are softened and fragrant and the ham is caramelised.

chunks of ham and diced onion sauteing in a pan

Step three: Add the arborio rice and thyme, and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring so that the rice does not catch on the bottom of the dish.

Arborio rice and diced ham in a pan

Save This Recipe!

I'll email this post to you, so you can easily come back to it later!


Step four Add the pea purรฉe and stock you heated earlier and bring to a boil.

Stock being added to a pan of ham and arborio rice
A bright green puree of peas and stock being poured into a pan of risotto

Step five: Cover with a lid and bake in an oven at 180 degrees Celsius or 350 Fahrenheit for 20 mins.

Step six: Stir in remaining frozen peas and parmesan cheese, then return the risotto to the oven for 5 mins with the lid on.

Frozen peas being added to a pan of risotto
Parmesan cheese being stirred through a pan of pea and ham risotto

Season with salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy!


A top down shot of a large pan of pea risotto studded with chunks of pink ham

Top Tips

Here is how you can make this Ham and Pea Risotto perfectly every time!

  • The secret to a baked risotto is about the ratio of rice to liquid. For every 250 grams of arborio rice, you need 750 mls of liquid.
A spoonful of pea and ham being served from a pan of risotto

A bowl of kakhki green risotto studded with green peas and chunks of pink ham in a ceramic bowl with wooden spoon topped with a pea pod

A bowl of kakhki green risotto studded with green peas and chunks of pink ham in a ceramic bowl with wooden spoon.
A bowl of kakhki green risotto studded with green peas and chunks of pink ham in a ceramic bowl with wooden spoon.

Ham and Pea Risotto

Ham and Pea Risotto, An oven-baked risotto that is easy to make with no continuous stirring and tastes delicious
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: New Zealand
Keyword: baked risotto, pea risotto, ham and pea risotto, pea risotto with ham
Servings: 6 serves
Calories: 339kcal
Author: Stacey

RATE THIS RECIPE

5 from 2 votes

Save This Recipe!

I'll email this post to you, so you can easily come back to it later!

Equipment

  • Large oven proof saucepan with lid.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 150 g onion
  • 1-2 cloves garlic
  • 250 g arborio rice approx. 1.25 cups
  • thyme 2 x 10cm stalks, or 1tsp dried thyme.
  • 750 ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • 300 g diced ham
  • 250 g frozen peas 2 cups
  • 50g parmesan cheese

Instructions

Prep

  • Heat the chicken stock. This can be done on the stove top or in a microwave. You want the stock to be hot but not quite boiling.
  • Blend one cup of the frozen peas with one cup of the stock to make a pea puree. (if you are using a bullet type non vented blender then you should do this with cold stock)
  • Finely dice the onion
  • Cube the ham
  • Heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius or 350 Fahrenheit

Cook

  • Use a large oven proof dish that has a lid. Start by heating the oil on the stove top.
  • Add finely onion, garlic and ham, and sautรฉ until the vegetables are softened and fragrant and the ham is caramelised.
  • Add the arborio rice and thyme, and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring so that the rice does not catch on the bottom of the dish.
  • Add the pea purรฉe and stock you heated earlier and bring to a boil.
  • Cover with a lid and bake in an oven at 180 degrees Celsius or 350 Fahrenheit for 20 mins.
  • Stir inย remaining frozen peas and parmesan cheese, then return the risotto to the oven for 5 mins with the lid on.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • The secret to a baked risotto is about the ratio of rice to liquid. For every 250 grams of arborio rice, you need 750 mls of liquid.
  • Olive oil: This can be substituted for butter
  • Onion: this can be substituted for shallots or finely sliced leeks.
  • Ham: if you don't have leftover ham you can use bacon, sausage or chorizo

Nutrition

Serving: 1serve | Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 836mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 384IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @my_kids_lick_the_bowl or tag #MyKidsLickTheBowl!

Sharing is caring!

Quick Start Guide To BLW

Baby led weaning doesnโ€™t need to be complicated, grab my quick start guide to begin your little ones food journey.

5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

One Comment