Plant-Based Dinner Idea: Creamy Dairy-Free Asparagus Risotto

This creamy, luscious asparagus risotto is hearty but still light and fresh. It’s naturally gluten-free and undetectably vegan.

The recipe is made with only a few simple spring ingredients, and it’s really easy to prepare. It’s also very adaptable and can be adjusted to your liking.

Asparagus Risotto makes a delicious weeknight dinner on its own, or a lovely side dish for mushrooms or vegan fish alternatives.

On a budget?

• Instead of arborio rice, you can use regular white or brown rice
• Skip the parmesan and choose a cheaper, grated vegan cheese
• Or make your own by grinding sunflower seeds and nutritional yeast together
• Choose frozen or canned asparagus, instead of fresh ones

Do you want your food to be super nutritious?

• Use regular brown rice or brown arborio rice
• Make this recipe oil-free by sautéing the onions and asparagus with vegetable broth - you can still add a tablespoon of tahini or cashew butter for a creamier finish
• Instead of vegan parmesan, use nutritional yeast for the cheesy flavor
• Add some extra green spring vegetables to your risotto. Spinach, baby broccoli, or arugula are all delicious

Wanna make this fancy?

• Make your risotto visually stunning by using purple asparagus
• For an even creamier risotto double the amount of butter and parmesan in the recipe
• Choose a good quality white wine for the risotto, and don’t forget to serve an extra glass of it with the food as well
• Serve your risotto with toasted pine nuts on top
• Roasted vegan shrimp is awesome as a topping as well

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

Asparagus Risotto

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 500 g green asparagus, chopped
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1.5 cups of arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 6-8 cups of hot vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup grated vegan parmesan + more for serving
• 1/4 cup vegan pesto (https://thebeet.com/vegan-pesto-recipe/)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Heat up olive oil in a pan, then add asparagus pieces, and fry for about 5 minutes, or until asparagus is slightly browned and cooked through.
2. Heat up oil and one tablespoon of butter in a pot. Add onion, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until translucent.
3. Add garlic and rice, and cook for another minute, or until coated. Add wine, and cook on, stirring every half minute, until wine is absorbed.
4. Once the wine is absorbed, start adding broth, a ladle full at a time. Continue cooking and stirring, until vegetable broth is absorbed. Keep adding broth, stirring, and cooking, until rice is al dente, about 20 minutes in total.
5. Stir in 3/4 of the asparagus, reserving the tops for serving, the rest of the butter, parmesan, pesto, and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve immediately topped with asparagus heads and extra parmesan.

Nutritionals

Calories 568 | Total Fat 17.8g | Saturated Fat 3.1g | Cholesterol 0mg | Sodium 1861mg | Total Carbohydrates 70.9g | Dietary Fiber 5.7g | Total Sugars 6.3g | Protein 24.7g | Calcium 249mg | Iron 5mg | Potassium 804mg |