Vegan Mushroom Lentil Risotto Recipe (High Protein)
Cozy, comforting, and hearty but also high in protein, this Mushroom Asparagus Lentil Risotto does it all. It's creamy, warming, and made with only good-for-you ingredients. The secret? The lentils! They disguise themselves as part of the rice in this risotto. They're high in protein and undetectable to the naked eye.
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups mushroom broth you can also use vegetable broth instead
- 1/2 large onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms of choice
- 1 cup chopped asparagus
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp gluten free soy sauce
- 1/2 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup white lentils soaked and drained*
- 3 tbsp white miso paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 macadamia nuts for garnish
Instructions
- Bring mushroom broth to a light simmer and set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium high heat, sauté asparagus and mushrooms with gluten free soy sauce and garlic powder for about 2-3 minutes, or until asparagus is bright green and mushrooms are tender. Set aside.
- Using the same pan, lower the heat to medium and sauté onion with a touch of oil or veggie stock until translucent and fragrant. Add garlic, dry rice and lentils to the pan, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add 1/2 cup of mushroom broth to the pan with the lentils and rice and stir until liquid is almost completely absorbed. Continue the process, by the 1/2 cup until all the broth is used and rice is tender.
- Remove the pan from heat, stir in miso paste, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with mushrooms and asparagus on top, or stir into the mixture.
- Top risotto with macadamia nuts, grated or microplaned on top for an extra touch. Enjoy!
Notes
Secrets to Success
- To achieve the best texture and make sure your lentils cook through, I highly recommend soaking them beforehand. I've included this as an optional step below in the recipe card, but if you have time to do it, please do! It only takes 30 seconds to dump the lentils into a bowl with water and you can let them soak overnight so they're ready to go when you're cooking.
- If you choose to soak your lentils for about 3 hours or overnight before cooking, it will result in a much more tender risotto and may cook more quickly. This is an optional step.
- Risotto is kind of a labor of love dish in that it does take some patience and time to prepare. You want to add broth slowly, in parts, until liquid is absorbed and repeat the process. I'm experimenting with an Instant Pot version, so let me know if you'd be interested, but until then, turn some music on and prepare to stir away!