Vegan beetroot risotto

Anastasia

5 years ago

When I’m thinking about main dish for Valentine’s Day I’m getting an image of beetroot risotto or pasta. This time it’s vegan beetroot risotto – fresh, creamy and slightly sweet, garnished with crispy truffle polenta hearts.

Use this recipe to make polenta. You can prepare it while your beetroot is cooking.

The secret of perfect risotto are good ingredients. I’m using high quality olive oil and it’s probably only one occasion when I put a lot of it, cause I’m not going to add any vegan cream or cheese replacements. Second is vegetable stock. I always make my own. Make sure it is warm when you’re cooking your risotto. And last but not least is wine. Go for a good wine that you would drink with your dinner. The perfect pairing for me would be Oregon Pinot Noir to accompany the sweetness and earthiness of the beetroot.

Ok, so now we are ready.

First of all boil or roast your beetroot. It might take up to 1 hour. Cool it, peel and dice into 1/4 inch pieces.

Heat generous amount of olive oil in a big shallow pan. Sauté shallots until translucent. Add garlic and stir until fragrant. Then add rice and stir until it absorbs all the oil and the edges become transparent.

Pour the wine and stir for a minute or so until the liquid and alcohol evaporates.

Now gradually add vegetable stock. Ladle by ladle. Wait until all liquid is absorbed until adding another one. After 2-3 ladles stir in beetroot and dried tarragon. If you have fresh tarragon, chop few sprigs and add in the end of cooking.

Cook risotto for 20-25 minutes. After 15-20 minutes of cooking start to taste it. It should be creamy, soft but al dente, with a bite to it. Season with salt, cracked black pepper, coconut sugar and nutritional yeast. Taste again to adjust seasoning if needed.

Serve with crispy polenta hearts.

Vegan beetroot risotto

Creamy vegan beetroot risotto with crispy truffle polenta hearts. Perfect main dish for your Valentine.

Author: Anastasia
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 min
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Yield: 2
Category: Main course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

1 C rice for risotto (Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
500ml vegetable stock (or more)
1/2 C red wine
1 medium beetroot
1-2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
olive oil for cooking
salt and black pepper to taste
crispy truffle polenta hearts for garnishing

Instructions

Boil or roast your beetroot. It might take up to 1 hour. Cool it, peel and dice into 1/4 inch pieces.
Heat generous amount of olive oil in a big shallow pan. Sauté shallots until translucent. Add garlic and stir until fragrant. Then add rice and stir until it absorbs all the oil and the edges become transparent.
Pour the wine and stir for a minute or so until the liquid and alcohol evaporates.
Now gradually add vegetable stock. Ladle by ladle. Wait until all liquid is absorbed until adding another one. After 2-3 ladles stir in beetroot and dried tarragon. If you have fresh tarragon, chop few sprigs and add in the end of cooking.
Cook risotto for 20-25 minutes. After 15-20 minutes of cooking start to taste it. It should be creamy, soft but al dente, with a bite to it. Season with salt, cracked black pepper, coconut sugar and nutritional yeast. Taste again to adjust seasoning if needed.
Serve with crispy polenta hearts.