Vegan Spring Risotto With Mushrooms And Asparagus

This vegan Mushroom Asparagus Risotto is the perfect comfort food for busy days. Creamy, light, and delicious without all the fuss.

If you're looking the unique but easy ways to use asparagus, this Spring Risotto With Mushrooms and Asparagus will not disappoint.

Why spring?

Asparagus is a typical spring vegetable. That means you can get the freshest and crispiest asparagus from your local farmers market at a cheaper price.

Jump to:

• 💭 Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 👩🏻‍🍳 CHEF'S TIP
• 📖 Recipe Variations
• 💬 Frequently Asked Questions
• 🍲 Storage And Reheating
• 🍅 Side Dishes
• 🍴Similar Recipes
• Recipe

That being said, you can buy this healthy vegetable all year long from any grocery store and enjoy it in a variety of ways.

I love making Asparagus soup and Roasted asparagus.

Another favorite is risotto. It has always been one of my favorite comfort foods. It's easy, fast, and can be prepared with almost anything.

Why not make it with asparagus?

Throw in some Portobello mushrooms and dried Porcini mushrooms and you've got a uniquely flavorful gourmet meal worthy to be served at the fanciest events.

This vegetable risotto makes one of the best vegan mushroom recipes and you'll see why.

💭 Why This Recipe Works

• easy. Risotto is one of the easiest dishes. However, there are certain rules that you need to follow if you want to make it the creamiest and most delicious. Don't worry, I'm going to walk through all the steps;

• healthy. With umami-packed mushrooms and asparagus as the main ingredients, this vegan spring risotto is packed with nutrients. Mushrooms are a great source of Vitamin D as well as Selenium, Copper, and Thiamine whereas Asparagus is rich in Folate and antioxidants that may combat free radicals;

• elegant. Despite that it's quite a simple recipe, I consider Asparagus risotto an elegant and special dish. Apart from cooking it on busy weeknights, I love serving this Italian classic for special occasions too, like when I have guests over but don't want to cook a complicated meal.

Ingredients

Here's an overview of the specific ingredients for this recipe. For the exact ingredients and measurements, please scroll to the recipe card below.

Ingredient Notes

In this vegan Asparagus risotto recipe, you'll find familiar ingredients, but also some unexpected ones that I truly believe make this Risotto extra special.

• rice. Normally risotto is made with Arborio rice. It's high in starch which contributes to a good creamy risotto. Arborio rice is sold in every grocery store in a rice and grains aisle. You can also try Carnaroli rice. It's usually sold in Whole Foods or online;

• white Miso paste is great for adding an umami flavor to the dishes. In this recipe, it's particularly useful because it intensifies the taste of mushrooms even more. I think Miso especially makes sense in vegan recipes. I really recommend you get one on Amazon asap. I add Miso to so many dishes, like Tomato Soup or Miso Walnut Pasta;

• mushrooms. I used Portobello Mushrooms but you can also get Cremini, Button, or Shiitake mushrooms. In addition, I used dried Porcini mushrooms. Although it's not a required ingredient (the risotto will be still delicious thanks to other mushrooms and Miso paste), I believe that Porcini are a key to achieving a delicate woodsy flavor and making the risotto super aromatic and yummy;

• vegetable broth - I recommend homemade broth but store-bought one is fine too;

🔪 Instructions

1. Rehydrate Porcini mushrooms (Skip this step if not using Porcini). Wash Porcini and place them in a large heatproof bowl or pot filled with hot broth. This will help to rehydrate the mushrooms. Leave it on a counter for 20-30 minutes until the mushrooms soften. After the mushrooms have softened, cut them into smaller pieces and strain the broth.

2. Cut the mushrooms and asparagus. Using a damp paper towel, wipe the mushroom caps, trip the tough bottoms, and slice the mushrooms into ¼-inch pieces. Slice 1 inch off the bottom tough part of the asparagus and cut the stalks into 1-inch pieces.

3. Sauté the mushrooms. Place a pot with a mushroom-infused broth on low heat and have it simmering. At the same time, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot pan over medium heat. Add sliced Portobello and Porcini mushrooms and stir until the liquid evaporates and they start to brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

4. Sauté the onion and garlic. To the same pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add onion and stir occasionally for 7 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and stir for 1 more minute.

5. Add Arborio rice. Stir the rice for a minute or two until the individual grains become slightly translucent.

6. Add broth. Stir in Miso paste, salt, and pepper, pour in 1 cup of hot vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Allow the rice to soak up the broth almost entirely before adding another cup. Continue adding broth 1 cup at a time and stir from time to time until Risotto is cooked through but the grains have still a slightly firm texture (al dente), about 7 minutes.
7. Add asparagus and mushrooms. If there's no more liquid left, add 1 more cup of broth. Cover risotto with a lid and cook for about 7-10 minutes until the asparagus is tender.

8. Give green Asparagus risotto a try. Taste it to see if it needs more seasoning. Divide among the serving plates, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve immediately.

👩🏻‍🍳 CHEF'S TIP

Hot broth. There're a few things you should remember when adding broth to any risotto. First - make sure the broth is hot. Never add a cold broth to a pan otherwise the rice will not cook evenly. The best thing to do is to place a pot with broth over low heat and simmer it as you cook the risotto.

Adding too much broth. Second - don't add too much stock at once. Only add 1 ladle at a time allowing the rice to absorb all liquid before adding more. If you add too much vegetable stock at once, the risotto will boil instead of cooking low and slow and won't be as creamy as it's supposed to be.

📖 Recipe Variations

If you want to make some more vegetables in this vegetarian risotto, you're welcome to do so. Here are my suggestions:

• peas. Use fresh or frozen peas. Add them to a pot at the same time as mushrooms and asparagus;
• lemon. You won't add the lemon slices but lemon zest will noticeably elevate the flavor of risotto making it perfect for spring;
• nutritional yeast. Add about 2 tablespoons into a cooked risotto to boost a cheese flavor and add a good amount of Vitamin B12;
• cheese. You can add vegan Parmesan cheese at the end of the cooking process or sprinkle some in each bowl individually. However, this vegan risotto is so creamy and tempting, you don't even need cheese.

💬 Frequently Asked Questions

🍲 Storage And Reheating

This gourmet vegetable risotto should preferably be consumed on the same day. If however, you have leftovers, store them in the airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than 1 day.

Reheat risotto in a microwave for 40 to 60 seconds. Also, you can add risotto in a pan, along with a little bit of water or vegetable broth and simmer until it's warm to consume.

🍅 Side Dishes

To complete a meal, I recommend serving this no-meat risotto with such side dishes as Cauliflower And Cucumber Salad or Crunchy Tomato Salad.

If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment below and rate it. I always appreciate the feedback. Also, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

🍴Similar Recipes

If you're looking for a quick overview of the recipe, please check out my Spring Asparagus Risotto web-story.

 

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