A delightfully different risotto! Enjoy Roasted Beet Risotto with Asiago & Thyme for a special night in.

Well this Roasted Beet Risotto with Asiago & Thyme makes me blush. I’ve always loved a classic well made risotto but the addition of peppery roasted beets elevates this dish to the next level. This has taken its rightful place as the queen of all fall risottos. Consider upping your risotto game and trying this recipe!

Risotto is often overlooked and dismissed for being a high maintenance dish to make at home and I can understand why people feel that way. It’s not a dish you can make ahead or leave alone on the stove until you’re ready to eat. It requires some love, attention and patience but the process is incredibly simple. I promise!

Roasted beets are great for the detoxification process and helping to purify your blood and your liver. Your body thanks you!

Attention mamas to be! Beets contain B vitamin folate which helps reduce the risk of birth defects.

It’s one of those dishes you make with or for people you’re really comfortable with. I mean the friends and family you don’t feel the need to entertain. This is one of those dishes where you crack open a couple bottles of wine and keep the party in the kitchen while you cook. Totally low-key and casual cooking.

Eating beets and drinking beet juice can help to lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation. I like to sprinkle a liberal amount of black pepper on beets before roasting.

Fresh thyme lends a nice flavor to this dish

Tip! I add whole thyme springs to my risotto. It’s much easier and saves me a few minutes. Just don’t forget to remove the stems before serving!

I’ll admit I’ve been that girl who decided to make a risotto when having an old friend and his new girlfriend over for dinner. Long story short; it wasn’t the smartest idea I’ve ever had. I ended up being in the kitchen for a solid 40 minutes and didn’t really get enough of an opportunity to get to know her. She probably felt slightly awkward and I can’t blame her. That was one of my more recent hostessing fails but it is what it is. Lesson learned! Risotto is reserved for a very small group of my nearest and dearest. If I invite you over and I’m making risotto, you know how special you are to me!

Fall roasted beet goodness!!

This dish really comes together when you stir in the roasted beets, butter and asiago cheese. A totally decadent, hearty, warm and rich dish!

Sprinkle with fresh thyme and shaved asiago. Serve immediately while hot!

Roasted Beet Risotto with Asiago & Thyme

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Author: Peony

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3 medium beets, red or golden
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1¼ cup arborio rice
• ½ cup of a dry white wine you like to drink
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• ½ cup finely grated asiago cheese
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• salt + pepper to taste
• garnish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash beets, trim the stems, and peel skin using a vegetable peeler. Cut beet into 1½ inch pieces. You can use disposable gloves if you're worried about staining your fingers. Bake beets in the oven for 35-40 minutes, tossing once with spatula halfway through.
2. In a small pot bring vegetable broth to a low simmer, covered.
3. In a large and heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring often, until golden brown and soft, about 7 minutes.
4. Add rice + 3 sprigs thyme; stir to coat. You want rice to look glazed and almost translucent. Stir in wine; cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
5. Add ½ cup broth; simmer, stirring, until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this process by adding vegetable stock ½ cup at a time and stirring until liquid is almost absorbed before adding more. You want the spoon to be able to move across the pan smoothly without having rice sticking to the bottom. This will take about 25 minutes.
6. Stir in beets, butter, and Parmesan; season with salt and pepper.
7. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and shaved asiago. Serve immediately.

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OFTEN TIMES, SIMPLICITY IS BEST.

This is hands down the recipe I’ve made the most in my kitchen. It has few ingredients, not a lot of preparation and is very simple to execute well. I have made this so many times; I could make it in my sleep. This simple recipe is consistently delicious. I’m never disappointed when I make this for lunch or dinner.

This is one of those recipes that is so quick to produce but tastes like you’ve been cooking all day. It makes me fall in love with my simple pesto pasta, every damn time!  I cannot stress to you how much I love this recipe. This is a recipe on my blog you need to have in your repertoire and stat!

FROZEN PEAS ARE GREAT TO ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR FREEZER. THEY ARE PERFECT IN THE SIMPLE CLASSIC!

There is no real cooking involved in this dinner, seriously! You make the pesto in the food processor and boil the pasta & peas in the same pot, which makes for a super easy and low maintenance clean up! Remember that the peas don’t take as long as the pasta to cook, frozen peas only take 3 minutes, so pop them in when your pasta is almost al dente. Be really careful not to overcook your pasta. You want the noodle to be firm to the bite because the cooking process will continue over medium/low heat, when you toss the pasta with pesto.

I LIKE TO THROW IN A HANDFUL ON SMALL, WHOLE BASIL LEAVES RIGHT BEFORE SERVING.

Simple Pesto Pasta with Peas

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: Peony

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 3 cups basil(sweet not thai), packed
• ⅛ cup pine nuts
• ⅛ cup walnuts
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• ¾ cup GOOD Olive Oil
• ½ cup parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated
• ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
• salt to taste
• 454g package pasta of your choice
• 1 cup peas

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Combine all ingredients except for olive oil and parmigiano reggiano in the food processor and pulse.
3. With the motor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the feed tube and process, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Transfer to a bowl and stir in parmigiano reggiano.
5. When the water comes to a boil add pasta and stir with a wooden spoon.
6. Add frozen peas when the pasta is a few minutes from being al dente. Read the cooking instructions on the back of the pasta because different kinds vary. Do you not overcook! The pasta is going to cook a little bit more when we toss it with pesto so it's better to have it slightly undercooked, if anything. Reserve a cup of pasta water. You can use this to thin out your sauce if need be.
7. Drain the pasta & peas, rinse with cold water.
8. Return the pot to stove over medium low heat. Add 1 tbsp of pesto and 1 tbsp of pasta water and let the bottom of the pot heat up.
9. Add pasta and mix with hot pesto slowly strip in the remaining pesto, thinning out the sauce with pasta water 1 tbsp at a time
10. Top with basil and a sprinkle of parmigiano reggiano
11. Enjoy!

Notes

*Reserve a cup of pasta water. You can use this to thin out your sauce.
*You will need a total of 1 cup prepared pesto for this recipe.
*Be careful not to overcook the pasta!!! It should be slighty undercooked when you rinse the pasta. Remember that we will continue the cooking process over medium/low heat when we toss the pasta with pesto.
*Please read my 'Classic Pesto' post for tips and tricks on getting a perfect pesto and how to freeze it.

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