Beetroot, that wonderful vegetable of strong red color because of which our board, hands, kitchen are painted red when we have fun with it. It all pays off because it is so delicious and varied in preparation.
It is used to make salads, cooked, pickled, baked, cakes (both raw and baked), put in latte drinks, smoothies, juices. You name it! Whatever you imagine, this root vegetable will fit perfectly and bring many benefits to the body.
I prefer it in freshly squeezed juices with carrot, apple, lemon and cloves. A combination you could drink every day. I also adore it on a garlic salad.
But recently I tried making a beetroot risotto with roasted pumpkin and literally “fell on my ass” from the fineness of the flavor. I don’t know what I’ve been waiting for so far and I don’t know what you’re waiting for, if you haven’t already tried it, because it’s perfect. Just don’t get too scared when you go to the toilet after.
Roast Pumpkin And Beetroot Risotto
A friend of mine showed me this recipe and inspired me to make some changes such as adding the roast pumpkin. Together, they mix perfectly.
Beets are first baked in the oven, wrapped in foil. Then part is cooked in risotto and part is glazed. After that, you can start preparing your roasted pumpkin which only takes about 20 minutes.
I hope I lured you. If I did, here is the recipe.
Roast Pumpkin And Beetroot Risotto
- 4 beetroots (medium sized)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 onion (small one)
- pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
- 1 cup rice (integral, short-grain)
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3+1/2 cups vegetable stock (keep it warm over low heat)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
Start preparing your roast pumpkin and beetroot risotto by reheating your oven to 200°C degrees.
Wash the beets, dry them and put each in a piece of foil and wrap. Put in the oven for at least half an hour, depending on the thickness of the beets. It must be soft when you prick the jaw.
Remove the beets from the foil, peel (be careful because they are hot) and chop 2 into pieces and two into slices.
Chop the onion and garlic into very small pieces.
Put oil in a pan and deep fry the onion. When the onion has softened, add the garlic and simmer a little more until it starts to smell.
Add the rice and fry briefly, stirring. Then add the chopped beets to pieces, wine, salt and pepper (to taste) and simmer until the wine evaporates.
Then add a little hot stock, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan and cook. When the rice has absorbed the stock, add it while stirring.
The beetroot risotto needs to be stirred every now and then to develop a creaminess. Add the stock until the rice is cooked or al dente (it feels a little under the tooth).
When the beetroot risotto is cooked, cover and let it rest for a while. Meanwhile, heat the soy sauce and maple syrup in another pan and allow to reduce slightly. Then add sliced beets and fry briefly in reduction.
Voila! Your beetroot risotto is done! The next step is to prepare your roast pumpkin and mixing it with the beetroot risotto. Once you're done with that, you can serve warm risotto with pieces of glazed beets and add a little fresh herbs (oregano, chives, parsley…) and yogurt (I used soy).
Once you have prepared your beetroot risotto, the next step is to start preparing your homemade roast pumpkin, which you can do before, after or while preparing your beetroot risotto (if you’re skilled enough of course).
Usually I don’t recommend doing two things at once while cooking, because it is such as delicate process, but if you feel comfortable with it, go for it! What I’d suggest if you don’t feel confident about this is to prepare your pumpkin while your risotto waits for you in the oven.
Roasting a pumpkin is a much simpler task and it involves only 20-30 minutes. This recipe has a lot of spices which mix perfectly with the beetroot risotto.
Roasted Pumpkin
- 1 smaller hokkaido pumpkin
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp pepper (sweet or hot )
- 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
Cut the pumpkin into sticks or thinner slices. Mix the spice mixture with the oil well and spread it over the sliced pumpkin.
Put it in the oven at 200 ° C in a preheated oven for 20-30 minutes.
Mix your roast pumpkin with beetroot risotto while it is warm and garnish with fresh sprouts as desired.
Once you’re done with both your roast pumpkin and beetroot risotto, they will all blend in magically and your final product may look like something on the photo below!
Thank you so much for reading through homemade roast pumpkin and beetroot risotto recipe! I hope you enjoyed my recipe as much as I did – I have to tell you – it was absolutely delicious!
Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts in the comments below, and as always, sending much love to you!❤️
– Luka
What a lovely recipe!