I have always loved risotto but I don’t really like using white rice. I’m not that opposed to white rice but I made the switch to whole grain as much as possible a long time ago and since then I’ve actually stopped enjoying the taste of white rice. I much prefer brown rice and I love that it also has extra nutrients and fibre. I am actually on a mission to add more types of whole grains into my diet more consistently, hence why I also added buckwheat to this recipe. I love buckwheat because its a good source of magnesium. I have currently taken to cooking up a big batch of whole grains and freezing them. I do a big batch of millet, buckwheat, and quinoa as well as brown rice. I place them in microwave-safe glass containers and when I need to use them all I do is heat them in the microwave then use them in my meals. I love doing this! It means I’m getting a much wide variety of whole grains in my diet without spending all the time cooking them. I wish I would have done this sooner.
This recipe does need pre-cooked grains because whole grains are a lot tougher so trying to make a traditional risotto with brown rice and buckwheat would take too long and I’m not even sure it would work!
I’ve been wanting to try a tomato risotto for a while, my toddler absolutely loves tomato-based dishes (so do I) and I thought it would be a nice way to mix up our usual tomato pasta recipes and try something different. It was a really big hit for my little one and is now going to become a regular meal at our place. I loved the addition of roasted cherry tomatoes in this recipe, they add a nice burst of flavour as well as a nice extra creaminess to the dish. I used my favourite Roma cherry tomatoes from Perfection Fresh from my local Aldi down the road. You can also roast garlic along with the tomatoes and use the roasted garlic in the risotto. I prefer roasted garlic so I will try it next time.
The recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free.
For a list of commonly used ingredients in my recipes please visit this blog post: https://hazelandcacao.com/commonly-used-ingredients/
For a list of the equipment I used in my cooking, please visit this blog post: https://hazelandcacao.com/cooking-equipment-i-use/
| Vegan Cherry Tomato Brown Rice and Buckwheat Risotto | Print |
- 1 cup precooked brown rice
- ½ cup precooked plain buckwheat
- 1 brown onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic- crushed
- 1 punnet cherry tomatoes - roasted
- ½ cup passata sauce
- ½ cup liquid veggie stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- small handful chopped basil
- 1 tsp maple syrup (optional)
- extra virgin olive oil for frying
- Half cherry tomatoes and place them cut side up on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper and roast in oven at 200 C for about 15 minutes until soft and blistered.
- Dice onion and fry in a little olive oil until translucent add crushed garlic and fry a few more seconds until garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add cooked rice and buckwheat to the pan, slowly add a little liquid stock a little at a time, while mixing until the risotto has reached a desired consistency
- MIx through the roasted cherry tomatoes
- Add a little passata sauce and mix through, add maple syrup to cut some of the acidity and mix again
- Finally, mix through chopped basil, adjust seasoning to taste and serve.
- Garnish with extra basil and serve with vegan parmesan cheese
