Vegan Grainfree Truffle Risotto (Made with Cauliflower Rice!)

Truffles – you either love them or you hate them. I love them and think there are few things out there more decadent that the taste of those strange-looking little black fungi. They make everything that bit more special, from pizzas to pasta to risotto. Grating a few slices of truffle over the top of your dish is the perfect way to add a bit of flair to any meal. My mum on the other hand can’t stand them. She thinks they smell medicinal, almost chemical-like and can’t understand why people make such a fuss over them. Sorry, mum, this one’s not for you. But for all the truffle lovers out there, read on to find out how you can make my delicious Vegan Grainfree Truffle Risotto.

My version of this classic Italian dish is a bit different as I don’t eat rice. I make my own rice from blitzing cauliflower in the food processor – it’s a great alternative. Check out my Lemon & Coriander Cauliflower Rice and Egg Fried Cauliflower Rice Recipes to see other examples! It takes on all the flavour of the ingredients you are cooking with and is a great alternative if you are following a grain-free diet.

So how do you make the Vegan Grain-free Truffle Risotto. You need to start by peeling and dicing the onion and peeling and chopping/crushing the garlic clove. Then, heat one of the tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion and garlic until softened and translucent (about 5 mins). Meanwhile, remove the leaves from the head of the cauliflower and chop/break up the florets into chunks. Add the florets to a food processor and pulse a few times until the cauliflower resembles rice-sized pieces.

Next, you need to slice up the mushrooms and add them to the onions and garlic along with an extra tablespoon of olive oil as the mushrooms will soak up all of the available oil. You can use any mushrooms you like for this – I used a mixture of button, chestnut and shitake mushrooms but there are so many varieties – portabello, porcini etc. You can even use dried mushrooms as long as you have pre-soaked them. (Just remember they’ll weigh a lot less when they’re dried so be sure to use the soaked weight for the recipe). Cook the mushrooms for a couple of minutes to soften and then add the vegetable stock. Pick the thyme leaves off of their woody stems and add the leaves to the pan.

Then, add the cauliflower rice to the pan and cook on low for about 5 mins until it has softened and the stock has been incorporated. When you use cauliflower rice you don’t get the same gummy, gloopy consistency as you do with risotto rice. The final dish is quite a dry one, more like a pilaf or a couscous type recipe. Season well with plenty of salt and pepper to taste. Finally, split the truffle risotto between two bowls (4 if serving as an appetiser) and shave or slice the truffle very thinly over the top. I buy truffles in a jar as it’s a much more economical way of purchasing them. It comes pre-shaved and packed in oil but if you can get your hand on the fresh stuff then even better!

Frying Cauliflower Rice, Mushrooms & Onion

Lastly, drizzle the truffle oil over the top of the dishes and serve garnished with a small sprig of thyme.

Absolutely delicious and the cauliflower rice makes the whole dish a bit lighter. It still feels like comfort food and has all the decadent flavour without being stodgy. It will fill you up without weighing you down. It’s perfect for a cosy winter night but also light enough to be a summer lunch dish! A great one for any occasion.

If you want to make the dish even more decadent you could stir some cream through at the end or grate some parmesan over the finished dish. Just remember this would mean the dish was no longer vegan though! (Unless you used vegan cream and cheese!)

If you like this then check out my Smoked Salmon & Summer Vegetable Cauliflower Rice Risotto too!