Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Risotto - GF and Dairy Free

 

3 of the 4 of the Gutierrez family are sensitive to dairy so I am always looking for ways to make yummy meals with little to no dairy products. This recipe tastes so rich and creamy without any of the milk or cheese that is usually found in a risotto. Risotto has the most wonderful silky texture that comes from slowly cooking the rice while stirring the whole time. I had a giant organic head of cauliflower that I had roasted and thought that it would go great in a risotto... so I threw this together and loved the results. 

I LOVE roasted cauliflower! Steamed cauliflower is bland and mushy but when roasted it magically caramelizes and has a nutty sweetness to it that is wonderful! The other main ingredient in this risotto is a vegetable pureed soup base from Trader Joe's that contains no dairy but gives it the rich consistency that cream would. Any pureed soup would be great in this recipe.

Roasted Cauliflower Risotto

1 large cauliflower roasted- (cut into bite sized pieces and roasted in a large rimmed baking pan at 375 F drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with garlic salt, paprika, parsley, onion powder, salt and pepper) set aside half of the roasted cauliflower for the risotto.

12 oz. Arborio rice

1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

1/2 large onion diced

4 cups  pureed soup base

4 cups chicken broth

4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

2 T. fresh chopped parsley

In a large pan saute onion and rice over medium heat until translucent, about 5 min. Add one cup of the chicken stock stirring until absorbed. Add soup base and remaining stock one cup at at time, stirring each addition until almost absorbed before adding the next cup. The key is to keep the heat at a simmer and to stir continuously until the rice is soft and creamy but not mushy(20-30 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in pine nuts and parsley and top with crumbled bacon. Enjoy~ serves 4