Cheesy Paleo Risotto and Pesto Meatballs

Jan 16, 2019 | Turkey, Vegetables

This dairy free and grain free cheesy risotto is magically creamy and flavorful. It goes perfectly with with homemade pesto turkey meatballs!

You know those weeks where you feel like you can’t catch up with yourself? Same. I tend to pick up way too many balls and add them to my juggling routine, and I really need to chill out for a while. Working full time at a job where you’re thinking hard all day is exhausting enough, let alone writing a cookbook, running this blog, taking photography classes, working on gut healing, working out, and being a functioning human. It’s a little much right now.

I tried meditating in yoga today and it was hard! I know I should be doing it every day, but I don’t know how people do it. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but I made every attempt to completely empty my mind, and I felt like it only lasted for a minute. I somewhat meditate during the flow since I only think about balancing within the movements, but if I’m sitting still my mind is like “ok, no.” Any tips for a newbie meditator? How do you make your brain shut up?!!

All I know is that this Paleo Risotto is dang fantastic. Definitely another situation where I ate out of the pan while I was shooting, and then tried to make it look like no one had touched the food yet, and then repeated. When you live alone you can be gross and get away with it.

Even if you’re disgusted by me, you’ll fall in love with the cheesy-ness of this dish. It’s so flavorful and creamy, it might even be the thing that knocks you into a meditative state. I’m going to keep trying.

risotto

Cheesy Paleo Risotto and Pesto Meatballs

PREP TIME 10 minutes
COOK TIME 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME 30 minutes
SERVINGS 4

INGREDIENTS

For Risotto:

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 5 cups cauliflower rice
  • 1.5 cups full fat coconut milk
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 cup Sundried Tomatoes

For Meatballs:

  • 1 lb ground meat
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp almond meal
  • 1/3 cup pesto*

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a bowl combine meat, egg, almond meal, and pesto. Roll into roughly 12 meatballs and place on the baking sheet.
  3. Bake for 15 minutes, turning partway through to brown evenly. Remove from oven and set aside. 

  4. Melt coconut oil over a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the cauliflower rice, coconut milk, broth, nutritional yeast, salt, and turmeric. Stir well to combine, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 7-8 minutes, or until the liquid is dissolved and the risotto is thickened. Add in a little coconut milk if the risotto gets too dry.
  5. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and meatballs, then serve topped with extra pesto!

RECIPE NOTES

I use my dairy free kale pesto recipe.

risotto

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MEET THE AUTHOR

Hey! I’m Moriah– a commercial and editorial food photographer and creative entrepreneur who is perpetually drinking coffee and covered in dog hair. I write this blog from New York City where I run my creative agency, The B Edit. I write this blog in the hopes that you can one day have your creative dream job, too!   

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