Need a dish to impress your non-vegan in-laws or foodie friends? This vegan summer vegetable risotto does the trick. You guys already know I love packing my rice and pasta dishes with veggies, so if that's what you're after, you're in the right place!
Confession time: I was afraid of making risotto for a long time because I thought it would be super labor-intensive. The hardest parts of making risotto are: 1) constantly stirring and 2) knowing when to add more broth.
The story
My cousin gave me a vegan cookbook for Christmas, and one of the first recipes I tried was a risotto in an attempt to broaden my culinary horizons. It was so creamy, yet still had the gentle tang you'd expect from the cheese in a regular risotto. Clearly, I was hooked, but wanted to make it my own.
So I set out to create my own vegan risotto with my Chief Taste Tester enthusiastically ready to do his duty. It's summertime, and the same cousin (of course) had just given me fresh cherry tomatoes from her garden! I chose flavors to enhance the tomatoes, came up with my vegan summer vegetable risotto! I feel like it's something Ina Garten would make for Jeffrey.
If you don't already know, I may or may not own 90% of Ina's cookbooks...even though they're not vegan. It's really neat how I'm still able to connect with her recipes, even though I eat (mostly) plants now. Her flavor combinations are so classic, and I love reading about how she thinks about food and flavors.
I digress...if you're afraid of making a risotto because you're afraid of messing it up, don't be. Worst case, you order Postmates. Best case, you get to try an amazing dish you made all by yourself! Give it a try.
Theme update:
As I mentioned earlier this week, I'm making whatever I want this month. Next month, I'm focusing on all things soups and stews. Let me know what kinds of recipes you'd like to see!
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Vegan Summer Vegetable Risotto
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Ingredients
1 bunch asparagus
Cherry tomatoes
2 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 cup arborio rice (do not substitute, gives creamy texture)
1 and ½ cup white wine (fine to replace with vegetable broth)
4-5 cups vegetable broth
1 lemon
Olive oil for sautéing
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh thyme (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Rinse and dry asparagus and tomatoes. Cut ends off asparagus, and then slice into 1-1.5 in spears. Slice cherry tomatoes into halves. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. If you're feeling really fancy, mince some fresh thyme and add to the mix, with a tad of lemon juice.
- Roast on a baking sheet for 20 mins, then turn vegetables, and roast for another 20 mins, or until asparagus heads start to become slightly crispy. Helpful hint: all ovens are different, and mine is particularly strong. You may need to up the heat on your oven, and/or check more regularly to ensure they don't burn!
- Meanwhile, heat large pan over medium heat with olive oil. Add shallots and saute until soft. Add minced garlic clove and arborio rice, and gently toast for 2-3 mins. Keep stirring to keep the garlic from burning.
- Add liquid (white wine and vegetable broth) 1 cup at a time. Stir until the rice absorbed most of the liquid, then add more. My risotto usually takes 4-5 cups of liquid. When I can "draw" a little line in the risotto without it refilling itself immediately, it's time for more liquid!
- Off the heat, stir in 1 tsp of lemon zest, and a spritz of lemon juice. Air on the side of caution: it's better to add more lemon juice later, but it's hard to fix a risotto that's too sour!
- Enjoy!
The Hangry Chickpea
Creamy and veggie packed...pair with your fave white wine and enjoy this fancier meal
★★★★★