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Traditional white bean risotto

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Transform your leftover beans into a white bean risotto, for a tasty and healthy dinner. Naturally vegan and gluten free!

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This white bean risotto is a traditional Cretan recipe my mother used to make very often. Except for being vegan and gluten free, it is also a great way to use any leftover beans and not waste food. Almost every time she cooked beans, my mom would make a little more in order to use them the next day in this recipe.  Actually, in Crete this dish is made with any kind of legumes, most often with beans, lentils and chickpeas.

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I happen to love beans, but I love this risotto even more! It has a sweet, earthy taste, and it’s also unbelievably creamy and delicious without using any cream, melted cheese or butter! How is that possible??? Beans, when slowly cooked, release a lot of starch which acts as a natural thickener and gives this risotto its creamy, velvety texture. As a matter of fact, when you cook beans you know they’re done when you see the formation of a thick, starchy sauce…

traditional-bean-risotto

This bean risotto is not only a perfect, plant based dish, but a well balanced meal too! It’s low in fat –only a bit of healthy olive oil is used – contains most of the basic amino acids our body needs, and is rich in fiber.

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I don’t usually have much of leftover food (unless I cook a whole turkey, which I’ll use in my 30 minutes leftover chicken pie the next day) because I like measuring and weighing things. When I’m in my kitchen, playing with my scales and measuring cups, I pretend I’m a crazy scientist in his lab, trying to figure out the formula for the next big scientific discovery (whatever that is, I don’t get into much thought about that). Anyway, since I don’t have many leftovers, when I cook beans I always use more (about half a cup or three quarters of a cup), in order to make this risotto the next day.

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Some notes/tips:

  • You can use your favorite bean recipe, and especially leftovers from the previous day! This recipe for Tuscan style beans in a light tomato sauce works best and does wonders!
  • Beans from a can are a great option for when you’re in a hurry!
  • Risotto is a food that needs frequent stirring and requires for you to be over the stove for 20-30 minutes.

You may also like these similar recipes:

Porcini mushroom risotto

Traditional chicken soup risotto

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5 from 2 votes
traditional-bean-risotto-1
Print
Traditional white bean risotto
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 
Transform your favorite bean recipe into a risotto, for a healthy, plant based dinner. Naturally vegan and gluten free! Tuscan style white beans in light tomato sauce are the perfect start!
Course: Gluten-free, Main Course, Vegan
Cuisine: Greek, Italian, Mediterranean
Keyword: gluten-free, healthy, risotto, vegan, white bean
Servings: 4
Calories: 295 kcal
Author: The Hungry Bites
Ingredients
  • 2 cups white beans in tomato sauce (not drained, we need them with their sauce!)
  • 1 cup risotto rice (carnaroli, carolina, saint andrea)
  • 4 - 5 cups hot water or vegetable stock or even chicken stock if not vegan. (* the amount of water will depend on the type of rice, amount of heat and size of the pan used)
  • salt and freshly grated pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat the beans in a pot over medium high heat. When they start to simmer, add the rice and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

  2. Start adding the water (or the stock), half a cup at a time. You should stir very often because the mixture can easily stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. After adding about 4 cups of water, taste the risotto and adjust the salt and pepper. By tasting it, you will also determine if it needs more cooking. Add more water if needed. Keep in mind that the rice will continue to cook for a while after you turn off the heat.
  3. When done, turn off the heat and transfer into plates.
  4. Eat.
Recipe Notes

Tuscan style white beans in tomato sauce recipe.

If you happen to have leftover beans, less than 2 cups as the recipe requests and still want to make 4 servings, don’t worry! Just increase the amount of rice a bit, and adjust the water quantity. It will still be delicious!

traditional-bean-risotto-4

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Comments

  1. Todd Armstrong says

    at

    5 stars
    Terrific. Healthy, tasty, easy … a perfect recipe for “sheltering in place!” Thanks for this Makos, I share you passion for food. Be safe, be healthy.

    Reply
    • Makos says

      at

      Thank you Todd, happy you liked it!

      Reply

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