This vegan golden beetroot risotto is everything risotto should be: comforting, creamy, and a slow but worthwhile labor of love. Garlic, shallots, and golden beets are sautéed in a pan. Arborio rice is added and gently toasted until translucent. Then, a splash of dry white wine is added to brighten and pop the flavors. Finally, ladle after ladle of hot broth is added and consistently stirred into the mixture to release the arborio's natural starches.
Risotto has to be one of the most comforting meals ever. Making it is truly a labor of love, and it's just about impossible to eat it without harvesting some serious appreciation for the craft of creating it. If you put in the time, effort, and laborious stirring, risotto will absolutely return your favors. Reciprocal love.
The starch released by arborio rice as it cooks lends an intense, creamy quality, which makes it a wonderful grain to use in vegan dishes. It's also gluten-free and considered to be one of the easier rices for the body to break down. Golden beetroot, the tamer and less flamboyant of the beet sisters, is a nutritional powerhouse packed from root to stem with vitamins and minerals. Beyond vitamins, golden beets contain a wealth of fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. They add a sweet earthiness to the risotto that is mellow and lovely.
Rather than starting this risotto with butter or olive oil, coconut oil is used since melds so well with the shallots, garlic, and white wine. The risotto is finished with salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and hemp seeds which add a splash of flavor and nestle the risotto in yet another layer of nutritional goodness. This is a dish to be savored and shared with loved ones, and it would be a great addition to a lineup of special Mother's Day recipes this weekend!
As for that collaboration announcement I mentioned on Friday...
Those of you that know Dan know that he is incredibly passionate about music. He lives, breathes, and sometimes even blogs about his love for discovering new bands, and his passion about music was one of the first things that drew me to him nearly seven years ago. Many of our favorite and most pivotal relationship moments have happened in the presence of music, and cooking and music are the focal points of our downtime together.
During a blog brainstorming session about a month ago, Dan tossed out the idea of pairing songs with recipes as a way of creating a unique experience and sharing our love of music with you all. We thought it would be fun to call this musical enhancement "Sound Bites," and the idea is all about making the process of cooking more lighthearted and memorable.
The nitty-gritty details: Dan will continually curate songs that he feels fit the vibe of Blissful Basil, and I'll be inserting links to each song within new posts. The links will allow you to play the songs right from the post as long as you're logged into a Spotify account, so be sure to signup for a free account if you don't already have one. Also, if you like what you hear, you can signup to follow Dan's monthly Spotify playlists where he aggregates a collection of new music (sign up here). Without further ado, here is our first installment of Sound Bites, and it's specifically paired with this tasty risotto recipe for your cooking and listening enjoyment.
📖 Recipe
Golden Beetroot Risotto | Vegan + Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced minced
- 2 large shallots, finely diced (about ⅔ cup)
- 2 cups peeled and finely diced golden beets
- 1 cup arborio rice
- ½ cup dry white wine, at room temperature
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- ½-3/4 teaspoon sea salt or to taste (I use ¾ teaspoon)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon shelled hemp seeds (optional)
- optional garnishes: sprouts, pepitas
Instructions
- Pour vegetable broth into a stock pot and heat over low.
- Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add in the garlic, shallots, and beets and cook for 6-8 minutes or until the beets just start to become tender.
- Add in the arborio rice and toast for 5-7 minutes or until most of the grains are translucent with just a small fleck of white in the center. Stir continuously throughout this process. Take your time with this step as it's important to break down the wall of the grain so that it can absorb more liquid as it cooks.
- Add white wine to pan to deglaze and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Slowly add in a half ladle of vegetable broth. Stir the rice continuously as it absorbs the broth. When nearly all of the broth is absorbed, add in another ladle full. Repeat this process, stirring constantly, until all of the broth has been used. This will take 20-25 minutes, but keep stirring and you will end up with a super creamy and rich risotto.
- When the last bit of broth is just about absorbed, turn off the heat. Stir in sea salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and hemp seeds (if using).
- Divide the risotto up in bowls and garnish. This recipe makes enough for 4 first course portions or 2 main course portions.
