Fresh, bright and seasonal - this is the perfect recipe to use those delicious green veggies coming into season at this time of year. This risotto is a fantastic dish to serve in the middle of the table with a side salad and lots of grated parmesan cheese.
For a vegan alternative, simply replace the grated parmesan in the recipe with 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast.
Serves 4 & takes 30 minutes to cook
Ingredients
1 large broccoli, cut into bite-sized chunks (including the stalk)
3 courgettes, sliced in half lengthways and cut into small chunks
1 onion, peeled and diced (or 2 shallots)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
200g risotto rice
2 veggie stock cubes, mixed with 900ml boiling water
1 large bag of spinach, finely chopped into very small pieces
80g grated parmesan (plus more for the top)
1 pack of pine nuts
1 tablespoon of tamari
Juice of 1 lemon
1 bunch of basil, finely chopped
Olive oil
Salt
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190C, fan setting.
2. Place the broccoli and courgette chunks onto a large baking tray (or across two), drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt and mix well until everything is coated in the olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the broccoli begins to char and the courgette becomes soft.
3. While the vegetables cook, place a large pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Once warm, add the diced onion, garlic and a pinch of salt. Mix well and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the onions turn soft.
4. At this point, mix through the risotto rice and cook for a couple of seconds before pouring in around 1/3 of the hot vegetable stock. Mix well and leave to simmer for 10 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. At this point, pour in another 3rd and cook for another 10 minutes, before pouring the rest (if needed) and cooking until the rice has become soft and absorbed all of the liquid.
5. After 30 minutes and once most of the liquid has been absorbed, mix through the finely chopped spinach, grated parmesan, pine nuts, tamari, lemon juice and basil.
6. Mix well and cook everything together until the rice becomes soft and the spinach has wilted.
7. Finally, stir through the roasted vegetables and serve with lots of parmesan and any extra pine nuts sprinkled on top.