Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Make the cashew cream: First, blend the raw cashews with the water until completely smooth and creamy. Set aside. If you don't have a high-powered blender, soak your cashews in hot water for 15–20 minutes first. Drain before blending.
- Sauté the veggies: Turn your Instant Pot to Sauté and add the olive oil. Add the onion, mushrooms, and red bell pepper and sauté for several minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften and the mushrooms release some of their moisture.
- Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, basil, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Cook for another minute or so, stirring frequently.This little sauté step is worth it. It gives the vegetables a chance to develop more flavour and lets the tomato paste caramelize slightly, which makes the finished risotto taste much more delicious than simply throwing everything into the pot raw.
- Add the rice: Add the dry arborio rice and stir for about a minute, coating the grains in all those gorgeous tomatoey flavours. Pour in a little of the vegan chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot thoroughly to make sure nothing is stuck. Stir in the remaining broth.
- Pressure cook: Secure the lid and cook on HIGH pressure for 6 minutes. When the cooking time is up, carefully do a quick release. Open the lid and give the risotto a stir.Don't panic if it looks a little looser than you expected at first. We're about to add the creamy goodness, and the rice will continue absorbing liquid as it sits.
- Make it creamy: Stir in the beans, cashew cream, spinach, lemon juice and vegan Parmesan. Let the risotto sit for about 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens up and the spinach wilts. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Top with fresh basil, more lemon juice, a dash of chili flakes, and extra vegan Parmesan and enjoy!
Stovetop Method
- No Instant Pot? No problem. Follow the recipe through sautéing the vegetables and adding the rice.
- Add the vegan chicken broth, stir well, and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly with a lid, and simmer for approximately 18–22 minutes, or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- For the stovetop method, you may need a little more broth than the Instant Pot version—start with the amount listed in the recipe, then add extra broth, about ¼ cup at a time, if the rice becomes dry before it is tender. You may need to give it a stir once or twice, but you do not need to stand there constantly stirring and adding broth like traditional risotto.
- Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and stir in the cashew cream, vegan Parmesan, spinach, lemon juice and cooked white beans.
- Cover and let it sit for 3–5 minutes before serving. Top with fresh basil, more lemon juice, a dash of chili flakes, and extra vegan Parmesan and enjoy!