Beetroot risotto

PREP TIME - 10 mins COOKING TIME - 25 mins

TOTAL COST - £1.74 COST PER SERVING - 87p

INGREDIENTS Serves two 5 small pre-cooked beetroots - 59p 1 onion - 9p 150g arborio rice - 38p ½ glass of vegan beer - 25p 500ml vegetable stock - 15p 5 tbsp vegan spread - 15p 10g parsley - 13p Salt & pepper to taste METHOD I’M VEGAN!

Great for your lunch or dinner; you really can’t beet it

Who doesn’t love a good Italian risotto, eh? It’s tasty, it’s easy and it’s pretty cheap but most importantly, it’s incredibly adaptable. This March, we’ve added our seasonal star, beetroot, to make it gloriously pink, rich and creamy. Enjoy! ONE POT MEAL * BEETROOT RISOTTO

1. Start by preparing the base of your risotto: the beetroots. Dice 3 of them and blend them in a food processor until you get a smooth consistency. add some water if too dry. 2. Dice the 2 beetroots and leave them on a side, we’ll use them to decorate the finished product. 3. Chop up the onion and place it in a large pan with 2 tbsp of vegan spread on a medium heat 4. Once golden, add the rice and let it cook for 4 minutes, mixing it well with the onions 5. Turn the heat to high and add the beer. Let the alcohol burn out while stirring the rice so it doesn’t stick to the plan. 6. Add the beetroot mix from the blender and stir well, then start adding some the vegetable stock, a glass at the time. This is also a good time to add salt and pepper to taste. 7. Continue to add the stock until the rice is cooked al dente (about 15 minutes from when you add the beer, the rice should still have a little bit of bite when you turn it off), then add the diced beetroots and the chopped parsley and turn off the heat. 8. Finally, add the 3 tbsp of vegan spread and stir into the rice until melted, serve with some more parsley on top and a sprinkle of pepper.

SUSTAINABLE BEETROOTS

Buy your beets from a local market, where possible, or check that they are British beets if bought from the supermarket.

Cut down on plastic

Most supermarkets now do pre-cooked beetroots canned or in jars, make sure you buy those to cut down on your plastic waste.

Meal Prep Double up portions and make some more for the week. You can store it in the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer for longer.