Easy Asparagus Risotto with Oven-Dried Tomatoes (Vegan)

I made this risotto last week when AJ was out of town.

Closely cropped image of a charcoal gray bowl of beige-colored risotto with green asparagus and red dried grape tomatoes, on a folded pastel blue cloth napkin with more vegetables in shallow focus in the background.

I was just about to make some toast and call it dinner when I saw my jar of Arborio rice in the pantry, and I decided that would make a more nutritious meal than just toast. So I used some asparagus I had sitting in the fridge, and a handful of oven-dried tomatoes, and it was delicious!

A stainless steel measuring cup full of white short-grain arborio rice, on a gray surface with a wrinkled, folded light blue cloth napkin.

I feel like some people think risotto is super scary and difficult to make, but all you need is a bit of patience.

A large black ceramic bowlful of asparagus risotto with two spears arranged decoratively on top, flecks of dried grape tomato, and more vegetables and a measuring cup of arborio rice in the background, on a folded pale blue cloth.

I know no one really wants to stand over a hot stove for an hour stirring a pot of rice (unless you’re in the cold parts of the country right now!), but it is so worth it once you take your first bite of creamy-dreamy risotto. Low and slow cooking allows the short-grain rice to absorb the flavorful liquid.

Vertical image of a black bowl of risotto with asparagus and oven-dried tomato, on a folded blue cloth with a metal measuring cup full of arborio rice, a piece of asparagus, an dried grape tomato, and a spoon.

It’s a great option for gluten-free diners, and this version is vegan as well. Plus, once you have put in that effort at the stove, this dish makes delicious leftovers. They’ll keep nicely in the refrigerator for about a week, great for workday lunches and quick dinners for the next couple of days.

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Closeup of a dark gray bowlful of beige-colored vegan asparagus risotto with oven-dried grape tomatoes.

Easy Asparagus Risotto with Oven-Dried Tomatoes


  • Author: Raquel Smith
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Description

A super easy risotto recipe with asparagus and oven-dried tomatoes. Vegan and gluten-free comfort food!


Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Place the vegetable broth in a saucepan on the stove. Cover and heat until very warm but not boiling. Turn heat down to low and keep warm throughout the cooking process.
  2. Place a large skillet (10″ or larger) over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add the shallot and cook until translucent, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and the dry rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is translucent and starting to get just a tiny bit golden, about 5 minutes.
  3. Pour in the sherry and cook, stirring often, until almost evaporated. Add about 1 cup of the warm broth and cook over medium-low heat until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, then add more broth. Stir very often – if left too long without stirring you’ll get a bunch of rice stuck to the bottom of the pan.
  4. Continue adding about 1/2-1 cup of broth at a time, stirring, and continuing to cook until the rice is very tender.
  5. While the risotto cooks, rinse the asparagus well and chop into about 1 1/2-inch pieces, keeping the tips separate. Heat the remaining olive oil in another large skillet and add the asparagus (reserve the tips). Saute for about 4 minutes, then add the tips and cook another 3-4 minutes until bright green and tender.
  6. When the rice is tender and most of the hot broth has been incorporated into the mixture, stir in the cooked asparagus, nutritional yeast, tomatoes, and fresh black pepper. Serve immediately.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour

Did you love this recipe? Don’t forget to leave us a rating below. We love reading your comments!

Top-down vertical image of a black bowl full of asparagus risotto, with pieces of dried tomato, on a folded light blue cloth with half of an asparagus spear, two dried tomatoes, and a silver metal measuring cup of white arborio rice.

And for something a little different, try our recipe for Cabbage and Mushroom Risotto or Creamy Carrot Risotto. You might even like using an alternative grain, like in our recipe for Pumpkin Kamut with Hazelnuts and Pecorino.

If you want to stick to asparagus, try another Risotto with Asparagus and Lemon, or our quick and simple Black-Eyed Pea Salad features your favorite green stalk! You should have our cooking guide for preparing these spears in the pressure cooker.


Don’t forget to Pin It!

A collage of photos showing different views of vegan asparagus risotto recipe.

Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on February 20th, 2015. Last updated: April 5, 2022 at 13:47 pm. With additional writing and editing by Allison Sidhu.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Raquel Smith

Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).

6 thoughts on “Easy Asparagus Risotto with Oven-Dried Tomatoes (Vegan)”

  1. Craving a bowlful of this risotto right now – it looks so good and I love that it’s a vegan version!

    Reply
  2. Oh no – sorry to hear about your hosting troubles, Raquel! Issues like that are always so stressful!! This risotto looks TOO good, and I love all of the flavors you’ve added in. Yum!

    Reply
    • Hi Pamela! Nutritional yeast lends a cheesy flavor, so it’s used in a lot of dishes as a flavor replacement for cheese. Feel free to use some parmesan instead if you aren’t vegan!

      Reply

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