Italian recipes
30 minutes
Creamy white bean-and-mushroom orzo risotto
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Creamy white bean-and-mushroom orzo risotto
2
Easy
10 minutes
30 minutes
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 250 g mixed mushrooms (such as chestnut and shiitake), sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed or sliced
- 100 g orzo
- 1 t dried thyme
- 1 × 400 g can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 300 ml hot vegetable stock
- 100 ml oat or almond milk (unsweetened)
- 2 t white miso paste
- 1 large handful of baby spinach (about 50 g), roughly chopped
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
1. Heat 1–2 T olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion with a generous pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
2. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 8–10 minutes until golden. Stir in the garlic for the final minute.
3. Stir in the orzo and thyme, letting them toast for a minute, then add the beans and vegetable stock. Simmer for 7–10 minutes (with the lid off), stirring occasionally, until the orzo is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
4. Add the milk, miso, spinach and lemon zest and juice, and let it cook for a final 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the spinach has wilted and the dish feels thick and creamy. Season to taste (I like lots of pepper in this recipe), then serve and enjoy!
Cook’s notes: Add toasted walnuts for crunch or swap spinach for cavolo nero or kale. Add a handful of rocket on the top for extra greens. Add nutritional yeast at the end (with the lemon) for extra richness, or Parmesan if you’re not plant-based.
Find more risotto recipes here
Photographer: Clare Winfield
Extracted with permission from Quick Wins: Healthy Cooking for Busy Lives by Ella Mills