Dairy Free Lobster Risotto

On Christmas, a good friend of ours invited us over to share dinner together and it was amazing. He had prepared the most delicious lobster risotto and although I’m not usually wild for lobster, I couldn’t get enough of it. It was filled with so much cheesy goodness, but I couldn’t stop eating it even though I knew my stomach was going to be in knots later on. I was right – but it was SO worth it. I knew I wanted to try to recreate this dish at home, but to give it a whirl with some non-dairy ingredients just to see if I could get a close second. While non-dairy Parmesan will never truly taste like the real thing (in my opinion), this dish is pretty darn close. Stick around today if you’re in the market for a delicious and easy dinner recipe that will impress friends with not a ton of effort, plus tips on making the dish if dairy isn’t an issue for you. So, a little bit of something for everyone today…stick around 🙂

Dairy Free Lobster Risotto

Full disclosure on some allergen related topics:

1. Our friend used Parmesan cheese in his, but in an effort to make it dairy-free I swapped it out and added some nutritional yeast and this vegan cheese. But for my cheese loving friends, feel free to just add in about 1 cup Parmesan!

2. Risotto and Gluten. True Italian risotto uses Arborio rice, a short-grain white rice that has a high rice gluten content (look for it in the international section of your grocer). Rice gluten is not the same thing as the gluten that bothers me or anyone else who may or may not have Celiac. Bottom line: Arborio rice is naturally gluten free. That said, risotto on menus or anywhere else where YOU are not cooking it is not always gluten free, since part of the cooking process involves broth, so just be sure to ask, unless you are making it yourself.

Okay now, on with the recipe so you can make your own!

You Will Need:

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1.5 cups Arborio rice

2 cups white wine

32 oz. vegetable broth (I like Pacific because it’s gluten free and organic)

The meat from one cooked lobster, chopped

1 tbsp. nutritional yeast

1/2 tbsp. Parma!

*Omit nutritional yeast and Parma! if using regular Parmesan cheese and sub in one full cup shredded Parmesan.

1. Put olive oil in the bottom of a large pot with shallots over medium heat.

2. Add Arborio rice, tossing to make sure rice is covered entirely in olive oil.

3. Add in white wine, stirring constantly until wine is evaporated.

4. Add in vegetable stock a ladle or so at a time and cook until evaporated. Then add another ladle, making sure to stir the pot constantly.

5. When all of the stock has been added, add in cut up lobster meat. Mix in completely.

*Note: I’ve also added in cooked butternut squash cubes that make this dish really tasty!

6. Remove from heat and mix in nutritional yeast and Parma! (or Parmesan cheese)

7. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Now let’s chat – do you like risotto? Have you ever had it? If you try this at home, please let me know what you think! Enjoy 🙂