Gloriously pink.

I’m sure most families with girls have to suffer through the pink phase. I do mean suffer as literally everything is pink… clothes, shoes, ice cream, drawings and toys. With two girls our home was overrun with pink. That’s when I saw a photo of beetroot risotto online and knew I had to make it.

When you think of beetroot you’re probably thinking of the pickled slices you get in a tin can. While those are great on burgers and sandwiches or as a side at a BBQ, that’s not the beetroot I’m talking about. It’s all about fresh beetroot… firstly, it’s great in salads. Just peel the outer and grate it for added colour. It will make your green salad leaves pop. But when roasted, beetroot takes on another dimension.

Peeling beetroot can get quite messy. I do recommend using food preparation gloves otherwise your hands will be stained a pink colour. Lots of handwashing can help with that though. This risotto includes thyme which works wonderfully in this earthy roast beetroot risotto.

This risotto recipe really isn’t hard to make. However, the beetroot makes it a little more time-consuming. You need to peel then roast the beetroot before incorporating it. In this recipe, half of the beetroot is blitzed into the stock, and the other half left in chunks which you add in towards the end. The end result is a truly amazing brightly coloured risotto.

If you have kids, particularly young girls, they’ll be super excited about eating this pink coloured meal. Do a pink party and serve with a little raspberry cordial for a special family night at home.

Roast Beetroot Risotto

Gorgeous and pink coloured, this roast beetroot risotto is a heart-warming addition to any family dinner. Kids will love the colour plus it is easy to make.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

 

• 500 g beetroot, 3-4 bulbs the same size
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1½ tablespoons butter, (or a diary-free substitute)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1¼ cups arborio rice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 125ml ml white wine
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 120g baby spinach
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 50 g Parmesan cheese, grated (or a vegan substitute)

Instructions

 

Preparing the beetroot

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with foil.
• Wash the fresh beetroots under cold running water and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove the leaves, making sure you leave at least 3cm of the stalk on the bulb. Don't break the skin of the beetroot - if you do, you'll lose some of the flavour.
• Place the beetroot in a small roasting pan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Roll each in the oil to make sure they are well covered.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the beetroot is soft but not shrunken. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
• Once cooled, rub the skin away with a piece of kitchen paper; it should peel easily. Wear food gloves to prevent your hands turning pink. Remove the root and stalks with a knife. Chop each beetroot bulb into bite-sized chunks.
• Whiz half of the beetroot chunks with 500ml stock until a smooth puree. Add into a medium-sized pot with the remaining vegetable stock and simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and keep warm.

Making the risotto

• In a large frying pan or risotto pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and fry gently until very soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes. Stir in the arborio rice and thyme until coated in the oil.
• Turn the heat to high and pour in the wine. Cook for 1–2 minutes, or until reduced. Turn the heat down to medium and add a ladleful of the beetroot stock. Stir continuously until the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat until all the beetroot stock has been added. At this point, the rice will have a creamy texture but still be al dente.
• Beat in the butter. Then add the baby spinach, parsley and remaining beetroot. Mix to combine until baby spinach wilts. Season with salt & pepper if required.
• Divide the risotto between four warmed plates and a sprinkle of parmesan at the table.

Notes

• Easily turn this into a meal suitable for vegans. Simply substitute both the butter and parmesan cheese for vegan dairy-free options. Alternatively, leave out the parmesan if a suitable cheese substitute is not available.
• If you don't have baby spinach available, you can omit this from the recipe.
• Swap out thyme for tarragon, parsley,  or basil.
• Serve this risotto with a classic Italian salad of rocket with shaved parmesan, pinenuts, balsamic glaze and a good drizzle of EVOO.