Go Back
Risotto Three Ways

Risotto Three Ways (Vegan Vegetable, Vegetarian Vegetable, Chicken & Chorizo & Vegetable)

I have created three recipes in one here because it is so common these days for the family make up to be a real mixed bag of omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. There is an accompanying video to take you through how to make these scrummy and oozy risottos that everyone is guaranteed to enjoy!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6

Equipment

  • 1 Large saute pan / sauce pan
  • 2 Smaller sauce pans / frying pans
  • 1 Cheese grater

Ingredients
  

For the risotto base

  • 2 tbsp Mild olive oil / sunflower oil
  • 300 g White onion, chopped
  • 300 g Carrots, peeled & grated
  • 3 sticks Celery
  • 4 cloves Garlic, minced (about 1 ½ tbsp)
  • 300 ml Boiling water (optional)
  • 360 g Arborio rice (risotto rice)
  • 150 ml Dry vermouth You can use dry white wine if you don't have dry vermouth. Dry vermouth is usually more budget friendly.
  • 2 each Vegetable stock cubes
  • 1.75 litres Boiling water
  • 150 g Frozen peas

For the chicken and chorizo risotto

  • 100 g Chorizo (skin removed & sliced) Check this is gluten free if you are avoiding gluten. Allow 50g per person.
  • 200 g Chicken thighs, diced fairly small Allow 100g per person.
  • 70 g Cheddar cheese Allow 35g per person.

For the vegetarian risotto

  • 70 g Cheddar cheese Allow 35g per person.

For the vegan risotto

  • 60 g Violife Creamy Or any other vegan cream cheese you enjoy. Allow 30g per person.
  • 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast flakes I prefer Engevita. Allow 1 tbsp per person.

Instructions
 

For the risotto base

  • Put a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the oil, onions, carrots and celery and sweat for 10 - 15 minutes, until tender. Don't allow them to colour. The celery tends to be a bit harder so if it is not tender after this time you can add 300ml of boiling water and cook until all of the water is gone. This will ensure you don't have any undercooked pieces at the end.
    2 tbsp Mild olive oil / sunflower oil, 300 g White onion, chopped, 300 g Carrots, peeled & grated, 3 sticks Celery, 300 ml Boiling water
  • Once the vegetables are tender add the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
    4 cloves Garlic, minced
  • Add the Arborio rice and stir. The rice should start to look a little shiny.
    360 g Arborio rice (risotto rice)
  • Add the dry vermouth, stir and cook for a further 2 minutes until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
    150 ml Dry vermouth
  • Add the vegetable stock cubes, boiling water, salt and pepper and cook according to the instructions on the rice packet (usually around 20 minutes). Stir regularly.
    2 each Vegetable stock cubes, 1.75 litres Boiling water
  • When the rice is almost cooked (give it a taste; it should have a slight bite to it but be mostly softened) add the frozen peas. Stir in and the take of the heat and set to one side.
    150 g Frozen peas

For the chicken and chorizo risotto

  • Fry the chorizo over a medium-high heat for about 2 minutes
    100 g Chorizo (skin removed & sliced)
  • Add the diced chicken thighs and continue to fry for around 5 minutes. The chicken pieces should look as though they are mostly cooked.
    200 g Chicken thighs, diced fairly small
  • Add ⅓ of the risotto base to the pan, stir in and cook for a further 5 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked. Check the chicken by cutting into a piece and ensuring there is no raw flesh.
  • Stir in the grated cheddar cheese and remove from the heat. Check the seasoning. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
    70 g Cheddar cheese

For the vegetarian risotto

  • Transfer ⅓ of the risotto base to another pan. Stir in the grated cheddar cheese. Check the seasoning. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
    70 g Cheddar cheese

For the vegan risotto

  • Stir the Violife Cream Cheese and the Nutritional Yeast Flakes into the remaining ⅓ of the risotto base. Check the seasoning. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
    60 g Violife Creamy, 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast flakes

Notes

You may require a different number of portions of each type of risotto, depending on the number of each dietary requirement you need to cater for in your house. I have therefore included the amounts per portion in the recipe notes. A rough guide is as follows:
Per person allow 60g of risotto rice. Then we have the following additions.
Meat & Dairy (per person)
50g Chorizo, 100g Chicken Thighs, 35g Cheddar Cheese
Vegetarian (per person)
35g Cheddar Cheese
Vegan (per person)
30g Violife Creamy, 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes
Keyword Budget Friendly, Family Food, Flexitarian, Gluten free, Leftovers, Meat, Omnivore, Plant Based, Risotto, Vegan