Vegan Risotto with Toasted Garlic and Mushrooms

This creamy, umami-rich vegan risotto is made in an Instant Pot and topped with crispy-edged mushrooms and nutty toasted garlic.

More than a year into the pandemic, I think we can all agree that we’re cooking a lot more. For me, there have been highs and lows to cooking dinner for my family most nights. I don’t think we need to dwell on the lows too long – surely you also have fallen into ruts, ordered too much take-out, or generally felt like you could not cook even one more thing ever again.

But the highs! Meal planning now feels essential, and as a result, I’m buying (and wasting) much less food than I used to. I’ve had time to experiment and slowly shift our family to eating vegetarian meals most nights. And, I’ve got a few super quick, easy, and actually healthful recipes that I can get to the table in about 30 minutes.

This vegan risotto that I created for the Reducetarian Foundation hits all of my pandemic cooking high notes – it’s a sating plant-based meal, it’s fast and easy to make, and it’s made with pantry staples. The Reducetarian Foundation promotes the idea that we can all change our diets and consumption habits in ways that are better for animals and the planet. For some of us, a vegetarian or vegan diet may not be sustainable, but we can all shift our eating toward more plant-based meals.

This creamy vegan risotto comes together in an Instant Pot, meaning there’s no fussy stirring or worrying about how much liquid to add. The risotto gets its flavor from rich vegetable broth, olive oil, sauteed alliums, and nutritional yeast. For the dish to really sing, you’ll want to cook the mushrooms in batches, leaving plenty of space so the edges crisp up nicely. And finally, it’s all topped with crispy toasted garlic. There’s a very fine line between nutty, toasted garlic and bitter, burned garlic, so keep a close eye and pull it from the oil as soon as the garlic is a nice golden hue. It’ll cook a little more once it’s out of the oil.

Get the recipe for this plant-based risotto over on the Reducetarian Foundation site.