
© Kaylee Murphy
Paleo Parsnip Risotto
Risotto used to always be such a comfort food for me. It’s so flavorful, starchy, and creamy–all the things I love. Being Italian, we used to make it all the time. Chicken apple sausages with sautéed apples and onions over risotto actually used to be my favorite dinner EVER. I would always pick to have that for my “birthday dinner.”
Transforming Old Favorites to What Works for My Body
Since grains don’t agree with me anymore (or at least right now), I’m always looking for ways to imitate my comfort foods with ingredients that actually agree with me. I’ve done cauliflower risotto before, I’ve done rutabaga risotto, and I’m sure I’ve tried a couple other “vegetable risottos,” but nothing comes close to this recipe! Parsnips make the perfect substitute for that starchy, creamy, flavorful dish that just soothes and warms your insides.
Benefits of This Alternative
Plus, besides being entirely paleo, this “risotto” is also very healing for the gut. I used homemade bone broth, which contains tons of healing compounds that can help repair the intestinal lining and boost the immune system! So if you need a warm and comforting dish that’s good and good for you, you MUST try this recipe!
The Recipe
- About 3-4 large parsnips, roughly chopped (about 5 cups total when processed into rice--explained in the instructions)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 2 cups bone broth (preferably homemade)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 heaping tablespoon coconut cream (I used So Delicious Full-Fat Culinary Coconut Milk--in the white carton)
- About ¾-1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- Place the roughly chopped parsnips into a food processor and use the pulse button to break them down until they resemble a rice-like size (again, you should end up with about 5 cups of riced parsnips). Place the riced parsnips into a bowl and set it aside.
- Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat with the avocado oil.
- Once the pan is hot, add the minced garlic and chopped onion, sautéing until the onions are tender.
- Add the riced parsnips and sea salt to the pan with the garlic and onions. Sauté everything for a couple minutes.
- Mix in 1 cup of bone broth to the pan. Let the bone broth come to a boil and absorb into the parsnip rice. Make sure you stir the ingredients in the pan occasionally so the parsnip "rice" cooks evenly.
- After the first cup of bone broth absorbs, add the second cup, continuing to stir occasionally.
- Once the riced parsnips are tender and the dish starts to get creamier, add in the coconut cream to make it even creamier, stirring until the cream melts.
- Then, mix in the chopped parsley and stir the risotto for a few more minutes.
- Once the risotto is perfectly tender and creamy, spoon that healing goodness into a bowl and serve!
- Enjoy! 🙂

© Kaylee Murphy
Check out some of my other favorite comfort foods like this Spinach and Mushroom Mostaccioli Casserole or my Paleo Shepherd’s Pie!
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