Green Spelt Risotto
mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, Parmesan and mixed seeds. It’s comforting while still packed with plants, making it a strong fit for hitting your recommended 30 plant points a day.
Jo’s gut friendly hero ingredient: “Spelt is an ancient grain that brings a nutty flavour, satisfying bite and useful plant-based nutrients to this comforting risotto. It contains fibres, to help food move through the gut more easily, over time helping to feed good bacteria, plant protein and minerals including magnesium, that supports a balance, making it a nourishing alternative to traditional risotto rice.
“Varying the grains you eat is also a simple way to increase plant diversity across the week. Paired with broccoli, peas, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach and seeds, this recipe delivers 7.25 plant points – helping add colour, texture and variety to your plate.”
ingredients
- 300g broccoli florets
- 200g frozen peas
- 1 tbsp oil
- 150g button mushrooms, halved
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 250g pearled spelt
- 500ml hot vegetable stock
- 200g cherry tomatoes
- 100g baby spinach
- 50g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- 1 tbsp mixed seeds
method
- Step 1. Cook the broccoli and peas in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and cool under cold water. Reserve 100g of each and set aside. Puree the remaining vegetables in a food processor to create a coarse paste.
- Step 2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the mushrooms and garlic for 2 minutes, add in the spelt and then the stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Step 3. Add in the vegetable puree and tomatoes; cook for a further 5-8 minutes.
- Step 4. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, then add the reserved broccoli and peas and the Parmesan, season to taste.
- Step 5. Serve sprinkled with the mixed seeds and extra grated Parmesan.
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