Post sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. See below for more details.
When fall and winter come around, I make risotto almost once a week. It takes a bit longer to make but pour yourself a glass of wine and stir away. Spelt isn't one of the first grains I would normally pick for a hearty risotto but once you give it a few cracks in a blender, you've got the perfect base for a creamy risotto. Once you get comfortable making this recipe, you could really swap the cheese, herbs, and toppings to suit whatever you might be craving (or whatever's in the fridge)! This spelt risotto is hearty and perfect for the cool weather.
A fall or winter treat, this spelt risotto is made extra creamy by cracking the whole grains in a blender then melting in goat cheese at the end.
Tips & Tricks: If you do not have a high speed blender, use a food processor to crack the spelt. You may need to pulse a bit more, but make sure that the resulting texture is still mostly chunky and not too smooth.
Leaving the skins on the beets makes for a less messy experience. Plus, extra fiber! But feel free to peel your beets before you cut and roast them.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: spelt, vegetable broth
Nutrition: See the information.
As mentioned above, the spelt risotto base is perfect for swapping cheese, herbs, and produce. Roasting the beets brings out their natural sweetness. But the variations of this risotto are really endless.
Cheese: Change up the cheese! Try it with gruyere or havarti. Or go vegan with cashew cheese to keep the creaminess.
Grains: Cook times will vary, so look for final consistency. Try this risotto with kamut, farro or barley.
Greens: Stir in tender greens such as spinach when the risotto is almost finished. Heartier greens, such as kale or collards, would also be delicious. Slice thin ribbons and stir into the risotto about halfway through cooking.
As much as I love spelt flour, whole spelt is used less often in my kitchen. But it's a fantastic grain! Its warm, subtle flavor is a perfect compliment to many flavors, especially hearty fall vegetables. Spelt doesn't come pearled like some of the other grains, so just pick up the whole spelt berries from Bob's Red Mill.
Spelt Grape Salad with Chickpeas
Roasted Eggplant with Cumin Spelt and Fig Chutney
Phenomenal eating.
I don't have a blender at the moment. Could I use bulgur instead? How would I modify the recipe if I did so?
It would cook a lot quicker and still not end up super creamy. I would switch to something like pearled barley which can be used directly in place of the spelt and still end up with a good consistency.
amazingly delicious!
★★★★★
Would I be able to swap the spelt for cracked rye?
Yeah- the flavor profile will change but I think it would work well!
This was delicious!
Delicious recipe, even though it takes a long time to cook. Mine ended up being a little too salty because I used regular broth. Once I realized, I just added water. Also, my blander is not strong enough to break the spelt, so I had to cut it manually using a large sharp knife. The best discovery is the oven-baked beetroot (left the skin on) - absolutely fabulous!
★★★★★