Making a rich tasting and a deliciously cheese free risotto has really been a game changer for me. So much so that “Risotto with Butternut Squash” was one of the first recipes on this blog, when I started about a year ago. Since then I have become a big fan of “Bone Broth” which I now use as a base for my risottos, making them even more creamy and heavenly. And with the weather changing and everything becoming more like autumn each day, I figured it was time for a new risotto recipe here on the blog 🙂 So I hope you you will enjoy this Histamine Friendly Creamy Beetroot Risotto with Lamb’s lettuce.
Risotto with beets is my all time favorite risotto combination. First of all it is pink!! (I love pink food…. don’t you??), second I love beets, and I really love the combination of the earthy beets with the rich creamy risotto. It is a match made in heaven if you ask me 🙂 What is your favorite risotto combo??
Now for the recipe. Start with cleaning and rinsing the beetroots, and then boil them for about an hour (45-60 minutes depending on their size). I usually cook them with the skin on and then remove the skin after they are cooked. You can also peel them before cooking them. Once they are cooked, let them cool down slightly, remove the peel, and chop them up into little cubes. You can also grate them it you want 🙂 That will help color everything even more pink…… including your hands and kitchen 😉
Even though this is a comfort food type of recipe it is still packed with veggies. And like me, my kids love risotto too, so they get quite some “hidden veggies” on risotto night, which is a double bonus. For the risotto you start with sauteing some finely chopped (white) onions and a finely chopped leek with a bit of oil in a pan (use a thick bottom pan for the best result). If you don’t tolerate leeks you can leave it out or replace it with some extra onion and some garlic, if tolerated. Cook the onion and leek for about 5 minutes until they are soft. Add some finely minced/pressed garlic and let it cook with the onion and leek for another minute or so. Season with a bit of salt and thyme (I use fresh lemon thyme from my garden, but normal thyme or dried thyme works just fine). Cook for another minute or two, to get the aromas going.
If you want you can add a little squeeze of lemon juice or some apple cider vinegar now – but it is totally optional. I usually add a little squeeze of lemon at this stage, but feel free to leave it out if lemon is not tolerated 🙂 Now, add the rice to the veggies and fry them for couple of minutes, under constant stirring. I usually use Arborio rice, as it is the type of risotto rice most commonly sold here in the Netherlands where I live. Then pour in all of the bone broth (can be substituted by a tolerated vegetable bouillon, if need be) and the water. Give it a good stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. At this stage, it really doesn’t look like much. Bring it to a simmer, turn down the heat and cover the pan with a lid, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Years ans years ago I used to add small amounts of liquid at a time and then stir until all the liquid was absorbed by the rice, and then repeat until all the liquid was added. Which honestly made me not want to make risotto. But then, about 10 years ago, I read a recipe for risotto in some diet book (I have forgotten what it was called, and I don’t have the book anymore), where all of the liquid was added at once and then just simmers for 30 minutes with no stirring. I have never cooked risotto any other way since.
After about 25-30 minutes of simmering the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, and at this stage you can add in some leafy greens if you like. Often I add some frozen peas and some frozen kale at this stage and cook them for about 5 minutes together with the risotto. But for this combo with beetroots and lamb’s lettuce I skip this, since the fresh lamb’s lettuce represents the leafy greens in this recipe. Once the rice as absorbed all of the liquid, and it looks delicious and creamy, salt to taste and serve with chopped up cooked beetroot, and some fresh lamb’s lettuce. I sometimes add a knob of salted butter in the end as well, but this is totally optional. So if you are completely dairy free leave it out. Enjoy o/
Prep Time:
Yield:
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PinIngredients
- 1 (white) onion
- 1 leek
- 1–2 cloves of garlic
- 1–2 twigs of thyme
- 1 squeeze of lemon (optional)
- 200 g rice (Arborio)
- 1/2 L of bone broth*
- 1/2 L water*
- 1 tbsp (extra virgin) olive oil
- 1 knob of (salted) butter (optional – leave out if you are completely dairy free)
- salt to taste
- 400 g beetroot
- 75–100 g lamb’s lettuce
- *can be substituted by a tolerated vegetable bouillon, if need be.
Instructions
- Start with cleaning and rinsing the beetroots, and then boil them for about an hour (45-60 minutes depending on their size). I usually cook them with the skin on and then remove the skin after they are cooked. You can also peel them before cooking them.
- Once they are cooked, let them cool down slightly, remove the peel, and chop them up into little cubes. You can also grate them it you want.
- Finely chop the (white) onions and the leek and saute them in a bit of oil in a pan (use a thick bottom pan for the best result).
- Cook the onion and leek for about 5 minutes until they are soft. Add some finely minced/pressed garlic and let it cook with the onion and leek for another minute or so.
- Season with a bit of salt and thyme. Cook for another minute or two, to get the aromas going.
- Add a little squeeze of lemon juice – optional.
- Now, add the rice to the veggies and fry them for couple of minutes, under constant stirring.
- Then pour in all of the bone broth (can be substituted by a tolerated vegetable bouillon, if need be) and the water. Give it a good stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Bring it to a simmer, turn down the heat and cover the pan with a lid, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Once the rice as absorbed all of the liquid, and it looks delicious and creamy, add a knob of butter (optional) and salt to taste.
- Serve with chopped up cooked beetroot, and some fresh lamb’s lettuce. Enjoy o/
Very good site, thank you very much for your effort in writing this post.
Beetroot is high in histamine!
Hi Duncan,
Beetroot is listed with a score of 0 on the SIGHI Food Compatibility List for Histamine intolerance. If you have issues with beetroot or are uncomfortable including them in your diet, try one of my other risotto recipes.
Tania