Cauliflower Rice “Risotto” Recipe
#whole30 compliant, #vegetarian and #paleo friendly 🌿
If you’ve ever made traditional risotto then you know it can be laborious (literally standing over the hot stove), time consuming (for 30 plus minutes) and although beyond delicious, it’s deffy not known as a “healthy” choice to kick off the year with (so. much. cheese.) haha!
With that being said, I’m happy to share that the creaminess and decadent flavors of risotto CAN be recreated in a healthier way – one that is @whole30 approved, paleo and vegetarian! The trick is to use the almighty cauliflower two ways — as your rice and as the base of your creamy sauce! You’ll flavor the sauce with nutritional yeast (the only reason we can’t call this recipe vegan) which has an intensely cheesy flavor. Raw cashews help to add creaminess to your risotto as well. Let’s do this!
Cauliflower Rice “Risotto”
Ingredients
- 3 12-oz. bags riced cauliflower
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 tbs. nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon
- chopped fresh thyme
- salt and pepper
- truffle oil for drizzling optional
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbs. olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet, then add in diced onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until translucent, then add in cauliflower rice. Season well with salt and pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes, then remove from heat.
- In a blender, combine 2 cups of the cooked cauliflower rice with 2 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup raw cashews, 3 tbs. nutritional yeast and juice of 1 lemon. Blend until smooth and taste for seasoning.
- Add blended sauce back to pan with remaining cooked cauliflower rice and add fresh thyme. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat, letting the sauce cook down to your desired consistency (ours took about 15 minutes). Taste for seasoning and drizzle lightly with truffle oil if using. Serve warm and enjoy!
Excellent as is! Creamy, savory, vegan, and keto. You won’t be disappointed.
Thank you so much, Gene!