We’re seven days into our month away in Austin. So far, our daily routine has been moving at a more relaxed pace. I love it. Cookie and I are soaking up the sunshine and enjoying our walks around our eclectic neighborhood. I’ve learned how to get to the grocery store and Jeanine and Jack‘s place without the help of my phone, so I think I’m pretty much set! I’m going to do my best not to talk about this city non-stop for the next few weeks, but needless to say, I’m inspired.
This risotto is a riff on my mushroom risotto, which is one of my favorites. I used the same cooking method, which requires only minimal stirring. Brown rice offers more nutrients and fiber than white rice and offers more flavor (the more flavor, the better!). Both the rice and the cauliflower bake in the oven at the same time, so you’ll have plenty of downtime to sip on leftover white wine while you wait. I know there are still plenty of cauliflower haters out there. Ali is one of them and she even liked this lemony risotto! Roasted cauliflower is really another animal. When it’s properly roasted, it’s tender on the inside, crispy on the edges and nutty in flavor. It really shines in this peppery, lemony, texture-rich risotto.
In my mushroom risotto post, I mentioned that I had some ideas for how to make my risotto vegan. My big idea was to add a touch of white miso to make up for the umami flavor of Parmesan, but I tried it and it just tasted funny to me. However! The starch in the short-grain rice is responsible for most of the risotto’s creaminess, so you could skip the Parmesan and add a vegan butter substitute or some extra olive oil in place of the butter. Vegans, please let me know if you give it a try. If you’re on a cauliflower kick, don’t miss my cauliflower soup, favorite cauliflower rice, and roasted cauliflower tacos!
Le Creuset Cast Iron 3 1/2-Quart Round French Oven ▸ For more of my favorite cooking tools, shop my healthy kitchen!
If you don’t have a Dutch oven: Use a large saucepan instead, then carefully pour the boiling broth and rice mixture into a casserole dish. If the casserole dish has an oven-safe lid, use that; if not, cover it tightly with foil. Bake as directed.
