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If you’ve ever had a well-made risotto, then you know just how incredible this dish can be! Just think of that delicious, creamy rice. Then imagine it seasoned perfectly and served up right out of the pan. It’s the ultimate comfort food. But wait, did we say creamy? Well yes, but don’t fret, because our beet risotto recipe is vegan! In fact, risotto’s creamy texture comes from the rice. You don’t need dairy at all!
It’s all in the Rice
We mean that literally! The rice varieties used for risotto – arborio, for example – are high in a starch called amylopectin. This gives the rice a chewier texture than other types. When the rice is cooked in liquid, it releases this starch. Suddenly, the dish becomes rich and creamy. You see? No dairy!
You’ve surely heard about all the stirring needed to make risotto. We’ll talk about this later. However, we’ll point out that stirring is really important for creaminess! As the rice grains move around, they rub against each other. This helps break out the starch and really get things going.
Feel the Beet!
We were looking for something a little different when we created this risotto recipe. We settled on red beets, because – well just look at that vibrant color! What’s more, there’s nothing quite like their rich, sweet flavor. For maximum taste, we mixed our beets with their best friends, dill and caraway seed. This classic flavor combination is found in many Eastern European dishes and gives our vegan risotto an aromatic boost!
How to Make Beet Risotto
You may have heard stories of risotto being challenging to cook. Well, we’ll break it down for you, because it’s actually quite easy! Keep these tips in mind while you’re following the recipe:
- No rinsing. If you rinse the rice, you’ll lose all that creamy starch.
- Don’t toast the rice for too long. A couple of minutes is enough.
- Avoid burning the onion. You want it to be translucent, not brown.
- Use tasty vegetable broth. This will ensure your rice has plenty of flavor – but avoid a broth with overpowering flavors.
- Get your broth simmering. And keep it lightly bubbling in a separate pot as you slowly add it to the rice. Cold broth will slow the cooking process and make the rice into glue. Note: the risotto should also be simmering lightly the whole way through.
- Add the broth bit by bit. If you add too much liquid, the rice will float around instead of rubbing together. This means less creaminess.
- Don’t stir too much, or too little. Too much and the cooking process slows, leaving you with gluey rice. Too little and the starch won’t be released. Stir gently and give your arms (and the risotto) an occasional rest.
- Add most other ingredients at the end. You don’t want to add things that will cool the risotto down, right in the middle of cooking it. In this case, that means the beets and nutritional yeast.
What if Your Risotto is …
- Hard or Crunchy: the heat could be too high, leaving the rice soft on the outside and uncooked in the middle.
- Gummy or Gluey: this may be due to using broth that is too cold or stirring too much. Both mistakes cool the risotto down while cooking.
- Runny: try adding the liquid more slowly, and giving it more time to be absorbed into the rice.
- Too Thick: you may need to add more liquid! Otherwise, the risotto may have kept cooking too long after all the liquid was absorbed.
OK – if we’ve done our job you’re now feeling confident about making the perfect beet risotto! If you give this risotto recipe a try, let us know what you think by leaving a comment and a rating. Every bit of feedback helps make the blog even better.
If you love beets and you’re looking for more recipes, take a look at our Roast Beet Mac and Cheese and Beet Hummus recipes!
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Beet Risotto Recipe | Easy + Creamy
- Total Time: 40 to 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Our vibrant beet risotto recipe is the ultimate healthy comfort food. The flavors and aromas in this vegan risotto will make your mouth water – seconds, please!
Ingredients
- 7 to 8 cups vegetable broth, brought to a simmer
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 9 ounces / 250 grams onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 3 cups arborio rice
- 9 ounces / 250 grams sous-vide beets, finely chopped
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup nutritional yeast*
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
To serve
- Fresh dill weed, roughly chopped or torn
- Green onions, thinly sliced
- Fresh beets, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Pour vegetable broth into a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Add olive oil, onions, garlic, and caraway seeds into a second pan and sauté over medium heat until onions have softened.
- Add and arborio rice, stir to combine with onion mixture, and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
- Using a soup ladle, pour one ladle of vegetable broth into the saucepan with the rice mixture. Stir until the vegetable broth has been absorbed.
- Repeat this process – adding vegetable broth and stirring – until all the vegetable broth has been absorbed. Use between 7 and 8 cups of vegetable broth until you achieve the desired texture and the rice is tender. You want the risotto to be creamy, not dry, so use as much vegetable broth as you need. Just be sure to use hot broth and stir regularly. See the article for more tips on getting your risotto perfect!
- Stir in the finely chopped beets and nutritional yeast. Use as much or as little nutritional yeast as you like to suit your taste.
- Divide between six bowls and top with fresh dill weed, green onions and fresh beet slices (if using). Serve immediately.
Risotto is commonly served as a standalone dish. However, if you would like to bulk it up a bit, you could add some grilled tofu or tempeh and a side salad.
Notes
- Check out the article above for important tips on how to make a perfectly cooked risotto.
- Nutritional information is to be used as a guide only as calories and nutrition vary between products and brands worldwide.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 to 30 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 481
- Sugar: 9.9 g
- Sodium: 522.1 mg
- Fat: 3.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 100.7 g
- Fiber: 5.5 g
- Protein: 10.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: beet risotto, risotto recipe, vegan risotto, how to make risotto
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