CM and I just got back from a fantastic vacation in North Carolina for our friends’ wedding and then backpacking through Shenandoah – so fun! Upon returning, though, I’ve realized that fall is in full swing and I needed to add some fall flavors to my tummy. Enter this low carb pumpkin cheddar risotto! I used the frozen riced cauliflower from Trader Joe’s, but you could rice your own in a food processor if you don’t have access to a TJs.
I had pretty high hopes for this low carb risotto, but it really exceeded my expectations! I’m definitely going to make this for Thanksgiving this year, and probably a bunch more times before that. Vegetarian keto recipes are hard to come by, especially fall specific veggie keto recipes, so this is getting a gold star for sure.
This recipe is pretty simple, but if you want to jazz it up, there are a few optional ingredients to add – for instance, you could add 1/4 cup of heavy cream to make this extra creamy or 1/4 of a dry white wine for some additional complexity and flavor. The choice is yours! I also used a pretty sharp and flavorful cheddar (Cabot’s Clothbound Cheddar, which is a cave-aged, cheese made in the cellars at Jasper Hill – so cool!). If you use a milder cheddar, you may want to add the wine!
Anyway, without further ado, here is a grain-free, low carb, LCHF, keto-friendly, vegetarian risotto recipe, perfect for Thanksgiving, and fall in general!
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a small onion, diced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp paprika
- salt & pepper to taste
- 12 ounces (about 3 cups) of riced cauliflower
- 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (or butternut squash)
- 3 ounces shredded cheddar (the sharper, the better)
- OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup of dry white wine or heavy cream
Method
- In a fairly large saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Let the onion soften (cook until it's pretty translucent), stirring occasionally. This is where you could potentially add the wine or cream.
- Stir in pumpkin puree until completely mixed.
- Add in cauliflower, and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Place the lid on the saucepan, and let this cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so as not to have the cauliflower stick.
- Taste the mixture (carefully!) - add more salt/pepper if necessary. If the cauliflower is still a bit hard, cook until it is softer, and more like rice.
- Remove the mixture from heat and stir in the cheddar.
- Serve and enjoy!
Hi! I made this with some substitutions (I didn’t have everything, so I used what I had), and it was awesome!! I substituted thyme for the paprika, and 150g of goat cheese for the cheddar and it was excellent! Highly recommended!! Thank you for the recipe :)
Thanks for the comment! Your substitutions sound amazing, and I’m going to have to try them myself!! :D
Can’t wait to try this!!! Thank you! Glad to know I’m not the only vegetarian keto-er out there!