After making red velvet cupcakes sans red dye and plus grated beet, I had a bunch of beets leftover in my fridge. Not wanting to waste them, I decided to go in search of a recipe that would be pleasing to the pallet and not overwhelmingly earthy. I found that in beet risotto.

Inspired by this New York Times recipe.

One thing to note, I made this over the course of two days. You need roasted beets, which is fine if you’ve got a few hours before dinner. If you’re doing this after work, do the beets one day, the risotto the next.

Here’s what you need –

• 3/4 – 1 lb of beets, roasted and cubed
• 3/4 cup arborio rice
• 4 cups chicken stock (use vegetable if you don’t eat meat)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 red wine
• 1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

To roast your beets, place in scrubbed beets in a baking dish with about 1/4 inch of water in the bottom. Roast in your oven for 35 minutes at 425 F. Let cool, dump out the water. The skin should slip off pretty easily. I used a knife to help guide it, but you could theoretically dig at it with your fingers. Chop into small cubes and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, heat your four cups of chicken stock. Let this come to a simmer and turn the heat down low. Meanwhile, start to cook your onions in olive oil for about 2 – 3 minutes until tender. Add the rice and garlic and stir to coat. Add red wine and let cook until nearly all of it is absorbed, stirring frequently. Add about 1/2 cup of chicken stock and stir this until its been absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup and stir until absorbed.

At this point, dump your chopped beets into the risotto along with another 1/2 cup of broth. Let the rice absorb the liquid (this might take longer than the previous cups as the beets will emit some juices). Add your spinach. Continue adding the stock to the rice until you use it up. Remember, keep stirring!

Isn’t it beautiful?!

Once you’ve added all of your broth, stir in about 1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese and let sit for a few minutes on the stove. Serve with a sprinkle of Romano on top.

 

I paired leftovers with a side salad of spinach for lunch the next day. Yum!