Dairy-free risotto is possible, people.
Risotto is one of my favorite guilty culinary pleasures. But cheese and butter are key ingredients, so we don’t have it. I’ve been playing with this dairy-free version for a while now, and I really enjoy it. (Plus, bonus: You can make it in 30 or 35 minutes.) Full disclosure: My son is not a fan (yet!), and my husband says it’s a little rich for his taste. Sigh … We can’t always win, I guess. But if you're looking for a dairy-free risotto, give it a shot.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. soy-free buttery spread (or butter if you can)
1 shallot, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 ¼ cup of arborio rice
5-ish cups of chicken broth
½ cup white wine (if you can part with it)
1 cup (ish) of mushrooms, coarsely chopped (I like baby bellas, but let’s face it, the point is to make you feel better by offsetting all the carbs with veggies)
Truffle-flavored olive oil
Bacon!
What to do:
Heat broth over low heat on stove. (Or if you have bones and want to make your own broth, start your slow cooker the night before and just transfer from this batch.)
Cook bacon until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towel. (This is optional, but bacon is so good! So, don’t skip it.)
Melt spread in large pan over medium head.
Add garlic and shallot. Cook until browned (just a minute or two).
Add rice. Let the rice toast in the pan (stirring) for a minute or so.
Ladle broth into pan a cup at a time, waiting for the rice to absorb it before you add more. Add some white wine. (My understanding is that wine in risotto adds richness. Usually, I’d rather just drink it, though. Because toddlers. But your call.)
As you’re adding your broth, add your mushrooms.
When the rice has absorbed all your broth and you have the texture/consistency you like (add more broth if you need to), drizzle just a little truffle oil on top.
Crumble the bacon on top. (Unless you ate all the bacon while waiting for the risotto to cook. Oh well. These things happen.) And serve.