This healthy vegan recipe, No Oil Vegan Asparagus Risotto with Peas and Mushrooms, is one of the best risotto recipes I have ever had. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Asparagus Risotto. Problem is with this dish, it is traditionally made with cheese. Every time I see it on a restaurant menu, my taste buds start their thing. So I just had to start making this at home.

Though vegan, my family even loves this dish. In fact, they request it. And that is definitely saying something. I feel quite confident, that once you’ve made this dish, you will most likely make it again and again. It’s that good!

Risotto recipes are made with Arborio rice because it contains starch. It’s one of those dishes you need to stand and stir, periodically adding liquid until it gets absorbed and releases the starch in the rice which gives it that very creamy consistency.

The standing and the stirring isn’t really all that bad. Just make it on a day you know you have the time or even on a weekend if you work during the week. The results are really worth the small effort it takes to stir until done.

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No Oil Vegan Asparagus Risotto

This healthy vegan recipe, Asparagus Risotto with Peas and Mushrooms, is one of the best risotto recipes I have ever had. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Asparagus Risotto. Problem is with this dish, it is traditionally made with cheese. Every time I see it on a restaurant menu, my taste buds start their thing.
So I just had to start making this at home. The healthy, no-cheese version, that is.
Though not vegan, my family even loves this dish. In fact, they request it. And that is definitely saying something with my family. I feel quite certain that once you’ve made this dish, you will most likely make it again and again. It’s that good!

Ingredients

  • 2 (32-ounce) cartons vegetable broth
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable broth for sauteing onion & garlic
  • 2 (4.5-ounce) jars sliced mushrooms, or fresh if you like
  • 2 pounds or bunches of thick asparagus spears, tough ends snapped off, and washed and sliced on the diagonal
  • 2 cups Arborio rice
  • 1 cup white wine (the alcohol cooks off leaving a nice flavor).
  • 1 package frozen petite green peas
  • 1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimientos, drained
  • 2/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Wash asparagus and snap off tough ends. Place asparagus in a saucepan with about two inches of salted water. Bring to boil and let simmer just until asparagus is done but not too done. Drain water and set asparagus aside
  • In the meantime, in another saucepan, heat vegetable broth and keep it simmering.
  • In a Dutch oven, add 1/4 cup vegetable broth. Add onion and stir for about 2 minutes. Add garlic to the onion and cook until both are tender. Add the Aborio rice at this point and stir until well mixed. Pour in the white white and stir until the wine liquid has been absorbed.
  • At this point, ladle in about a cup of the simmering broth. Stir once again until liquid is absorbed. Keep ladling in the broth and stirring until rice begins to cook and get creamy. Repeat this process until the rice is done. Not mushy, but firm yet tender. This process takes 20 – 30 minutes.
  • Add all other ingredients: Asparagus, green peas, pimientos, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of butter and sea salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and serve immediately.
  • Thank you always for visiting my healthy vegan recipes site.