Tomato Risotto: the delicious, vegetarian main dish recipe you’ll like

Think risotto is outside your range of expertise? Not with this recipe. Many home cooks wrongly think risotto is a lot of effort only to end up with undercooked, stodgy rice. But no one should be afraid to make this wonderful dish.

This Tomato Risotto is easy, vegetarian main dish recipe perfect for summer when tomatoes are in season. The flavor is slightly sweet and tastes like vine-ripened tomatoes. The texture is just what you’d expect from a perfect risotto—rich and creamy!

It's super easy to make, toast the rice, add the rest of the ingredients and cook while stirring every now and then! With this recipe and our useful tips and tricks, you’ll be cooking creamy, flavorful risotto in no time.

Tomato Risotto Ingredients

Oil – use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.

Rice – use a short-grain rice with a high starch content such as the Carnaroli or Arborio rice.

Broth – use high-quality vegetable broth; you can also use chicken broth, just note it won’t be vegetarian friendly.

Tomato sauce – look for a tomato sauce made with cherry tomatoes as it will have the best flavor.

Butter – use high-quality salted butter.

Cheese – you’ll need parmesan and mozzarella.

How To Make Tomato Risotto

Start by toasting the rice. Add oil and garlic to the pan, and when the oil is hot, add the rice and toast it for a few minutes until it becomes transparent. Add the broth and tomato sauce to deglaze, then continue to cook until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente.

Don’t cover the risotto while cooking, as the moisture needs to evaporate. It’s also important to stir while cooking. Once the rice is cooked through, turn off the heat, season with salt, add the diced mozzarella, butter, and grated parmesan, and mix. Serve the risotto hot and stringy

Tips

To make it vegan, use vegan butter and cheese substitutes.

If you want to make it meatier, you can add cooked ground beef, chopped ham, or shredded rotisserie chicken.

Feel free to add wilted spinach or other vegetables like steamed broccoli.

Use burrata instead of mozzarella for more flavor.

Don’t leave risotto unattended. Stir the rice to keep it moving—it aids in evaporation and also helps to release the starch which contributes to the creaminess.

Don’t stir too much as it will ruin the texture. Try to stir every 30 seconds.

Use the best quality stock you can find. (Homemade is best!) Don’t add the stock all at once. At it little by little, stirring until all the liquid is absorbed before adding the next bit of stock.

You can also bake the risotto in the oven. Follow the recipe and once you add the broth and tomato sauce, cover and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Stir in the butter and cheeses and serve.

You can also use canned tomatoes instead of tomato sauce.

What To Serve With Tomato Risotto

Tomato risotto makes a wonderful accompaniment to roasted or stuffed chicken breast. Wines that will pair well with the tomato risotto are Riesling, Chardonnay, and Shiraz.

How To Store Tomato Risotto

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge. Cover and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan with a splash of broth or wine.

More Risotto Recipes You'll Like

• Mushroom Risotto
• Pumpkin Risotto
• Sweet Potato Risotto
  
  Ingredients

  Extra virgin olive oil

  Garlic

  1 clove

  Rice

  300 g (1 1/2 cups)

  Vegetable broth

  550 ml (2 1/4 cups)

  Tomato sauce

  450 ml (2 cups)

  salt

  Butter

  40 g (1/4 cup)

  Parmesan cheese

  mozzarella

  100 g

   

Instructions

Pour the oil into a large pan over medium heat.

Add the whole garlic.

Once the oil is hot, add the rice.

Stir to coat it with the oil.

Deglaze with the homemade cube broth and add the tomato puree.

Lower the heat and cook the risotto for about 10 to 15 minutes until the rice is cooked.

Turn off the heat, add the butter, and stir.

Add the diced grated parmesan.

Add the cubed mozzarella.

Stir to combine.

Serve the tomato risotto hot and stringy.

Notes

Don’t overcook the risotto. It should be al dente.