Beetroot & buckwheat risotto ala healthy style. Indulgingly creamy yet light, this is another dish from the ‘home comfort food’ series. This humble meal is a true nutritional powerhouse: beetroot enriches it with iron and folate, whilst buckwheat is a great source of protein and fibre. Vegan, gluten and dairy free.
If you’ve been following my humble health journey for a while, you know how much I adore beetroot. I’d already declared my love for this nutritious vegetable when I shared the beetroot waffles recipe here, so I won’t ramble about it in this post.
For me, one of the real signs of a successful dish is when it gets thumbs up from my other half, who can’t live without meat. When he proudly declared after trying my most famous vegan shepherd’s pie: ‘I much prefer this veggie version to the traditional meat one!’, I was really chuffed with myself. However, when he requested it at least twice a week, I knew it was time to come up with another winning meal!
This beetroot risotto is another dish from the ‘home comfort food’ series. I’ve used light coconut milk to make it creamy yet not overly rich like a traditional risotto.
I chose to serve this beetroot & buckwheat risotto with wilted spinach & mushrooms to add extra textures and colour, however you can safely serve it plain.
WHY SHOULD I MAKE BEETROOT & BUCKWHEAT RISOTTO?
- It’s rich & creamy, yet healthy & nutritious
- Super easy & quick to make at home
- A great meat-free alternative
- Like your meal prep? This is a perfect recipe to add to your list
- The abundance of natural red colours makes it a perfect meal for the festive season & one of the best romantic vegan dinner ideas for Valentine’s Day.
Want some more meat-free inspiration for your weeknight dinners or meal prep? Check out:
- The best creamy mushroom stroganoff
- Oh-so-delicious vegan stuffed pasta
- Quick & easy vegan sticky aubergine
- Easy butternut squash & chickpea stew
- Family favourite vegan chili
If you make this creamy beetroot & buckwheat risotto, I would be over the moon if you shared your feedback with me in the comments section and tag me in your creations on Instagram #fitfoodienutter or Pinterest. I really love seeing your takes on my recipes.
Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Healthfully yours,
Tania x
Pin for later:
CREAMY BEETROOT & BUCKWHEAT RISOTTO (V, GF, DF)
Ingredients
For risotto:
- 1 cup unroasted buckwheat
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small shallot , finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic , crushed
- 300 g cooked beetroot (about 4 small beetroots)
- ¼ tsp red chilli flakes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1 tsp mixed Italian herbs seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup vegetable stock (from a cube)
- 3 x ¼ cups light coconut milk (from a tin)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Salt & pepper to taste
For garnish:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ cup mushrooms , sliced or quartered
- 2 cups tightly packed spinach leaves
- 1 small garlic clove , crushed
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh dill (or herbs of choice)
- Pomegranate jewels
Instructions
- Thoroughly rinse the buckwheat. Drain and set aside.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil into a big pan (big enough to contain all risotto). When the oil is just starting to sizzle, add finely chopped shallot & garlic. Fry over medium heat for a couple of minutes until golden brown.
- Turn the heat to low. Add chilli flakes, paprika, sumac, Italian herbs and bay leaves and fry for another minute.
- In the meantime, process half of the beetroot in a food processor until fine mixture (for a minute or two). Dice the rest of the beetroot into small chunks.
- Add the buckwheat and all the beetroot into the pan with onion and garlic. Stir well. Pour the vegetable stock, coconut milk and lemon juice into the pan. Stir again.
- Cook on a low to medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed (around 15-20 minutes). Keep stirring every 5-7 minutes.
- Whilst the risotto is cooking, fry the garlic with olive oil in a separate pan. When the garlic turns golden brown, add sliced mushrooms . Sautee for round 5 minutes until the mushrooms are slightly soft. Add spinach, salt & pepper to taste and cook for a further 2 minutes until all the spinach leaves wilt.
- When the risotto is ready, add salt & pepper if needed. Serve with sautéed mushrooms & spinach and fresh dill.
OMG the colors are AMAZING!! I’m not generally a beet fan but reconsidering!
Hi Lisa! Thank you so much for your kind comment. If you could only give it a try, you might become a beetroot convert! I hope you do:) x
That color is amazing and I love the addition of buckwheat! All of the yums!
Thank you so much Carrie! x
Wow, first of all, the colors are soooo beautiful! And all of the ingredients sound perfect. I love the addition of pomegranate seeds. So good!
Thank you so much Kate. I love it when the food looks as vibrant as this – it makes it more fun to eat, doesn’t it?! x
What a gorgeous color! ANd I love that you were able to get it so creamy without dairy.
Thank you Marisa. I have to praise coconut milk for a lot of my creamy creations!
That is an amazing color! I’ve never used buckwheat before, what is the flavor like?
Hi Lisa. I was born and raised in Russia and buckwheat was on our menu A LOT! It has a slight nutty flavour. I love using it instead of rice or pasta (it’s a great source of fibre and protein). Really great kitchen cupboard staple.
This is fantastic. The color is gorgeous and it’s healthy without tasting like it. Love it!
Thank you so much April x
I love anything with beets, yum! Trying this next week for sure.
Thank you Dana! I’so happy you’re a beetroot fan, it’s a real superfood veggie which is very much underrated I think. Hope you like this recipe x
What a delicious dinner! I love the color, too. And your photos are beautiful!
Thank you so much for your compliment Amy! x
It’s such a vibrant, and wonderful recipe! I share your love for beetroot, it’s such a tasty, healthy and powerful veggie! Plus it turns everything into this lovely pink colour! Beautiful dish Tania, pinning this for sure to try soon!
Hi my lovely! Our roots are firmly bound by beetroot and buckwheat, aren’t they? I remember we eat A LOT of buckwheat in post-Soviet times! And beetroot is very traditional for Poland as well I believe, isn’t it? Would love to try some Polish recipes with beetroot Anna! Maybe we can have a Polish/Russian cook off soon? lol xxx
This is such a pretty dish! I love the flavors. This would be a great Valentine’s Day dinner.
Thank you so much Linda. I’m definitely considering this for a Valentine meal:) I hope the other half will approve… x
Wow, what a gorgeous coloured dinner! I love adding a little colour and brightness to my dinner table. Going to try this one out.
Thank you Mairi! I hope you enjoy this healthy & delicious meal!
What a vibrant looking meal, and I am sure it tastes delicious too. Beetroots are an excellent in lowering blood pressure naturally, plus they contain plenty of nitrogen. Agreed! Perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Astrid! I wouldn’t have said it better about the beets myself!
This is soooo genius! The combination of the buckwheat, beets and mushrooms (some of my fav ingredients!) – I seriously cannot wait to try it!
Thank you Sarah! I hope you will enjoy the recipe as much as I do.
What a beautiful meal! Heart healthy for valentines 😉
Thank you so much Michelle!
Yum Yum Yum!!! Beetroot makes such a pretty color. I love the addition of mushrooms. And buckwheat is another favorite of mine. This dish is calling my name.
Thank you Jen! I’m totally with you on buckwheat and beetroot – it’s a great power combination, isn’t it?!
Gorgeous! You’re right, this is such a great Valentine’s Day idea. The beet is so vibrant and the buckwheat is a nice, healthy touch instead of rice.
Thank you so much Leslie_Anne!