Vegan beetroot risotto

Vegan beetroot risotto

vegan beetroot risotto close up

Happy weekend, folks! I’m really looking forward to this one in particular as not only is it a 3 day weekend for us (it’s a Bank Holiday in the UK), but in an unexpected twist it’s also going to be a warm and sunny once again. Yay! This hardly ever happens. I am stoked. Tomorrow Duncan and I are going to a walk followed by a picnic with a local vegan and vegetarian meet-up group and on Sunday we plan to cycle to Bath alongside the leafy Bristol-Bath bicycle path that we count ourselves lucky to live near. Happy days!

This past week has been fairly good with the exception of one ‘hairy’ day, on Monday. Despite constant clouds, I managed to shoot three recipes this week, which means I am one step closer to being prepped for our Greek holiday. I’ve resumed doing meditation and yoga daily again and I run every second (or sometimes third) day, the cocktail of activities that has a visible impact on my mental health and stops me from turning into a pumpkin ๐Ÿ˜› . I’ve also started looking into some activities to take up in an effort to meet some like-minded people.

Duncan is talking me into trying wall climbing and we decided to sign up for a course of Lindy Hop dancing in October. I am excited about both as I have never attempted either. It will be both exciting and humbling to learn something completely new.

It’s time for another seasonal recipe today! Today’s star ingredient is beautiful ruby red beetroot that is at its peak in August and so it would be rude not to incorporate its earthy loveliness into a dinner. I made a simple yet delicious beetroot risotto with tiny little cubes of beetroot cooked in the rice and sweet and sour, balsamic glazed chunks on top. The whole thing is brought together with dollops of creamy vegan ricotta cheese which, although optional, are highly recommended.

It really takes this dish to another level and it is super easy to make also – here is the recipe for it if you fancy giving it a go. I hope you’ll enjoy both and have a lovely weekend. x

vegan beetroot risotto ingredients

vegan beetroot risotto beetroot two ways

vegan beetroot risotto pan

vegan beetroot risotto

serves
2-3
PREP
15 min
COOKING
25 min
serves
2-3
PREPARATION
15 min
COOKING
25 min
INGREDIENTS
  • 3 medium sized beetroots
  • 40 ml / 2ยฝ tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling
  • ยพ tsp salt, more to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 3 small shallots or ยฝ large onion, finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 150 g / ยพ cup arborio rice
  • 120 ml / ยฝ cup vegan white wine
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
  • a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
  • 1 vegan stock cube dissolved in 3 cups / 750 ml water or homemade vegan stock
  • 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup or sugar
  • vegan ricotta, to garnish (optional)
METHOD
  1. Heat up the oven to 200ยฐ C / 390ยฐ F.
  2. Peel all of the beetroots. Cube one of them into tiny cubes (or grate it coarsely) and chop the other two into 8 wedges each.
  3. Coat beetroot wedges in 2 tsp of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place on a roasting tray. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until tender. Set aside.
  4. Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan or pot, one that you have a fitted lid for.
  5. Add in chopped shallots (or onion) and fry on a low heat until translucent (about 5 minutes), stirring from time to time.
  6. While the shallots are sauteing, heat up your stock in a small pot. Keep it hot until you are done adding it to the risotto.
  7. Add garlic to the shallots and fry, stirring frequently, until fragrant and softened (about 2 minutes).
  8. Mix in rice and fry it off for a few seconds, stirring frequently.
  9. Next add in cubes of beetroot, wine, nutritional yeast, salt, a generous grind of black pepper and fresh thyme. Allow the wine to cook off completely before adding the first small portion (60 ml / ยผ cup or so) of hot stock.
  10. Keep on adding the stock, in small amounts, until fully absorbed by the rice before adding the next portion. Make sure to stir the rice often to activate the starch, which makes for a creamy risotto.
  11. Keep on adding the stock to the rice until the rice is almost al dente – i.e. has a small amount of bite to it when tasted. It will take about 15-20 minutes from the moment you first started adding liquid to the pan.
  12. Taste a grain of rice to make sure it is almost ready. If it is, switch the heat off, cover the pan / pot and allow the risotto to rest for 5 minutes.
  13. Meanwhile, place balsamic vinegar and maple syrup in a small pot and reduce it on low-medium heat until balsamic gets reduced into a thick glaze consistency (balsamic reduction).
  14. Divide the risotto between 2-3 bowls, top with roasted beets glazed with balsamic reduction and optionally dollop with vegan ricotta.

NOTES

SHARE
NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
442
22%
sugars
19 g
22%
fats
13 g
19%
saturates
2 g
10%
proteins
6 g
12%
carbs
68 g
26%
*per serving
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5.0
19 reviews, 28 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Jessica:
hello! you state the recipe is 2 or 3 serves; is the nutritional info based on the dish being divided into two or three servings?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Jessica, it's per one out of 3 servings. Hope this helps! Ania
Jenny:
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Weโ€™re eating eat most weeks during beetroot season and each time really enjoy the treat of the taste, colour and texture.
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm delighted to hear that, Jenny! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. x Ania
Akiko:
Beautiful and delicious outcome. This recipe is a keeper!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Akiko! I am so pleased to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thank you for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it. x Ania
Sarah Wellington:
Absolutely delicious. Iโ€™ve made it numerous times, & passed the recipe in too. I actually make it in my pressure cooker though
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much Sarah, I am delighted to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to review - much appreciated. x Ania
Dory la Dame:
Amazing! I also add some grated carrots and chick'n seitan strips and garnish with aragula and toasted walnuts. And definitely don't skip the riccota. It's one of those dishes that is on the menu every week when beetroots are available.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Doris! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe so much that you make it on a regular basis. Your additions sound brilliant too! Thank you for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it. x Ania
    PS: if you love beets, you may enjoy there recipes too (they are some of my favourites): Greek-style beets, balsamic beets on cauliflower-walnuts mash and beet chocolate cake.
Joliw:
This was so delicious!!! Will be making this again for sure
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, I am delighted to hear that and I really appreciate you taking the time to review - it helps me out a lot. x Ania
I just made this tonight and it was super delicious! Thank you for such a great recipe- Iโ€™m excited to make it for friends again! :)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you so much, I am really happy to hear that! x Ania
Anasta:
I made this on the weekend (with a couple of modifications), and it was fabulous.
I doubled the rice, and it was perfect as a main for 4 hungry people.
I roasted all the beetroots, along with several carrots, and reserved only half a beetroot for garnish. The other 2.5, and a few carrots, I grated into the risotto.
My beetroots were incredibly sweet, and the risotto turned out sweeter than I'd've liked, so I stirred in some tart soy yoghourt before serving, and it cut through the sweetness perfectly.
I'll definitely be making this one again and again !
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you for your kind words, Anasta! I'm so happy to hear that this dish has gone down a treat. I really appreciate you taking the time to review this recipe, thank you. x Ania
Rosanna:
Absolutely delicious recipe. Simple to make and filling. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe much appreciated. ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿคค will defo make again. X
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Rosanna! I'm delighted you enjoyed this risotto so much and thank you so much for taking the time to leave this review - much appreciated. x Ania
Jessica:
This is such a tasty risotto recipe! Paired perfectly with roasted carrots, brussels sprouts and asparagus.
    Ania
    Ania:
    My pleasure. I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! x Ania
Laetitia:
Hi Ania,
Usually not a huge fan of beetroots but I am always trying to work with seasonal ingredients and want to incorporate more beetroots into my diet.
The result was fabulous! I enjoyed them prepared this way and will be using this recipe in the future :-)
Only thing: I used golden and chiogga beets so I sadly could not get that lovely color. Will be sure to use red ones next time!
Thanks a lot!
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm so happy to hear that you've decided to give beetroots another chance, Laetitia! They are sooooo good for you and can taste delicious too if prepared well. I'm delighted that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for letting me know that you did :) Ania
Rebecca Creighton:
So tasty! The roasted beetroot wedges on top were the perfect addition. Easy to make and really lovely.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Rebecca! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed it! Ania
Joyce:
I tried the recipe and it was so good!! I'll definatly be making it again, and also try out more of your recipes! Thank you so much for sharing it :)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Joyce. I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed it and thanks so much for taking the time to review - much appreciated. x Ania
Mikw:
This is a wonderful recipe thanks so much!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thank you so much! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed this dish. Ania
Catherine Leonard:
Wow! Never been a beetroot fan, but after getting it as part of my Locavore organic veg delivery I gave this a try and yum! I'm teetotal so I used white grape juice instead. The reduction and soft cheese as garnish are perfect and give it such an amazing flavour.
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed it, Catherine! And thank you for taking the time to let me know! Ania
Tammy:
I've seen Lazy Cat Kitchen come up so many times in my search for recipes but this is the first time I've tried a recipe of yours. Will definitely make many more! This risotto was really REALLY good - ricotta on top was such a treat and so quick to make. Thank u from Australia xx
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Tammy! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed it so much and thanks for taking the time to let me know. I hope you'll find other recipes that suit you. Greetings from rainy UK and 'hello' from my Melbourne born and bred husband, Duncan! x Ania
Pauline:
This was amazing. One of the tastiest risottos I've eaten. Thanks
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks so much, Pauline! That's really nice to hear! Ania
Anna:
Totally delicious and a great way to use up lots of beetroot - thank you!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, Anna. Thanks for letting us know that you enjoyed it! x Ania
Iโ€™m not vegan,but that risotto was the best Iโ€™ve ever tried ๐Ÿฅฐ
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks so much. I am really happy to hear that! Ania
Liz:
Hi!
Do you think this would work well with precooked beetroot?
Thanks
X
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Liz,
    Yes, sure, but make sure it is not preserved in vinegar as it will alter the flavour a lot! Ania
Emily Nicole Stone:
This is by far one of my favourite meals to cook, especially for a little bit of home luxury. Its homely goodness but a little fancy. I usually use red wine instead of white and it works a treat!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Emily, I am delighted to hear that! I hope you are keeping safe in these turbulent times. Ania
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Emily,
    I am delighted to hear that, thank you. Red wine is perfect too. Hope you are keeping well. Ania
Dorota:
I had to skip white wine because didn't have any and couldn't go shopping, but came out very good anyways! Lovely, thank you!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Dorota! I'm really happy to hear that you liked it!! x Ania
paul:
Thanx,,, for the beet risotto recipe, I've been trying to do more with beets and love rice.
Paul Teres
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, Paul! I hope it will enjoy it as much as we did! Ania
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