This dish’s origin story begins with six carrots that were about to go bad in my fridge. I knew I had to use them up to avoid throwing them out, and decided I wanted to roast them.

I am *shook* and just how good this turned out. 10/10 recommend.

Do not let the word risotto scare you away from trying this. Risotto sound intimidating, but it’s not challenging. It just requires patience and a little time.

Here’s what you’ll need to serve two:

• Carrots
• Lemon pickled red onions (I had red onions soaking in lemon juice for about a week in my fridge which I decided to toss in. You can skip the pickling step, but I’d still recommend letting them at least drizzling them in lemon juice first)
• One orange
• Thyme sprigs
• Goat cheese
• One shallot
• 1/2 cup arborio rice
• ~2 cups chicken or veggie stock
• Salt and pepper

Here’s the steps:

Step One: Get Yo Veg Roastin’

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut your carrots into thick diagonals, julienne style, and throw them onto a baking sheet. Add your sliced lemon-pickled red onions.

Note: If you’re not using lemon-pickled onions, just slice your onions (~1/4-1/2 inch thick) and drizzle them with lemon juice before adding them to your sheet).

Next, slice your oranges and add them to your sheet along with your thyme sprigs.

Season your veg generously with salt, pepper, and olive oil and throw it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure your onions don’t burn.

Step Two: Cook your Shallots and Start your Risotto

Finely dice shallots and add them to a pot with some olive oil. Cook until they start to get a little bit of color, and then add your 1/2 cup arborio rice to the pot. Toast your rice until it becomes semi translucent.

Step Three: Add Your Cooking Liquid

Start slowly adding your chicken or veggie stock to your risotto, a little bit at a time (~1/4 cup or so). Make sure to stir regularly to ensure that all of your rice soaks up the stock. You don’t need to be constantly stirring the risotto the entire time you make it, but you do need to stir the pot with some consistency.

I am almost never exact with my rice to stock ratio for risotto. Just make sure you get a thick, creamy texture to ensure that your rice is fully cooked and has no crunch to it when finished.

The risotto will take roughly 20-25ish minutes.

Step Four: Plate!

Once your veg and risotto are done, you’re ready to enjoy your meal! Put your risotto in a bowl, cover it with your roasted veg, sprinkle on some goat cheese, and use your cartelized orange and your roasted thyme to garnish.

Enjoy!