Perfect Vegetable Risotto
- PREP 10min
- COOK 30min
- TOTAL 40min
This vegetable risotto recipe combines two of our favorite things: fresh veggies and super creamy risotto rice. It’s also fun to make. We use a wide, heavy-bottomed pan and wooden spoon for risotto. A stainless steel rondeau or a wide Dutch oven is excellent. For the broth, we love our tomato broth (it takes 30 minutes), but you can use your favorite homemade or store-bought broth in its place. You will need about 6 cups.
If you are entertaining, we highly recommend making the risotto in stages. First, cook it until 75% done, cool the rice mixture, and then about 10 minutes before serving, reheat and finish the risotto. This way, you are not standing over a hot stove for 30+ minutes when your guests are there. This method is written into the recipe below.
You Will Need
6 cups (1420ml) vegetable broth, we highly recommend this tomato broth
2 cups (380g) arborio rice or carnaroli rice
1 cup (236ml) dry white wine, see notes
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion, half large onion
3/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper, half large pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 medium yellow squash, chopped small
1 medium zucchini, chopped small
1 ¼ cups cherry tomatoes or use chopped tomatoes, 6 ounces
3 tablespoons salted butter
Handful chopped fresh herbs like basil, chives, and green onion
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving
Directions
Make Rice Mixture
In a wide, heavy-bottom pan over medium heat, cook the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in olive oil until the onions turn translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add the rice and thyme and cook, stirring for 3 to 5 minutes. When the rice sticks a little, pour 1 cup of white wine into the pot. Stir the rice and wine around the pan with a wooden spoon until mostly dry.
This step will take about 15 minutes: Begin by measuring out 3 ½ cups of broth, setting aside the remaining 2 ½ cups for later. Pour one third of the measured broth into the pan and keep the risotto at a low simmer while stirring often to prevent the rice from sticking. Once the pot becomes mostly dry, add another one third of the broth and repeat the process until all of the remaining stock has been added.
The rice will be about 75% done and will be somewhat tender while still having a raw bite in the center. This is the end of stage one. Either cool the partially cooked risotto to finish later or move on to finishing the risotto.
Cool Rice Mixture (optional for entertaining or making ahead)
You can skip this step if making the risotto from start to finish. When the rice mixture is 75% done, cool the risotto rice by spreading thin on a baking sheet and placing it in the refrigerator. When it is cool, transfer the risotto rice to a container or resealable bags, and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you have a smaller family, like me, you can divide the rice mixture into two batches.
Finish Risotto
About 10 minutes before serving, heat a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the cooled rice mixture, chopped yellow squash, and zucchini. If you skipped cooling the rice, simply add the squash and zucchini to your pan with the hot rice mixture.
Grab the remaining 2 ½ cups of broth. Pour in a third of the broth. Then, with the wooden spoon, stir the rice mixture constantly, ensuring it doesn’t stick to the pan. Once the pot is mostly dry, add another one third of the broth and repeat the process until all of the remaining stock has been added.
Season the vegetable risotto with 1 ½ teaspoons of fine sea salt, and stir in the tomatoes.
Grate enough parmesan cheese over the top to cover the rice, add the butter, and finish with 5 twists of black pepper. Stir until the butter melts and the tomatoes are hot. The risotto should be creamy, the squash tender, and the tomatoes heated through.
Serve immediately with fresh green herbs, green onion, and extra parmesan cheese on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Eggplant puree: For even more flavor, stir in 1/2 cup of eggplant puree to the risotto at the same time as the tomatoes. To make eggplant puree, char the outside of a medium eggplant over a gas flame or under the broiler for about 10 minutes. Then, roast the eggplant in a 425°F (220°C) oven for 12 minutes or until the eggplant is completely soft. Remove the eggplant from the oven and let it cool. Scrape the softened eggplant flesh into a blender and puree until smooth.
- Wine to use: Choose a lighter dry white wine like Pino Gris, Albariño, Grüner Veltliner, or Sauvignon Blanc
- Wine substitution: If you prefer to leave the wine out, replace it with more broth and sprinkle a little fresh lemon juice over the risotto before serving.
- Alternate methods: For the best, creamiest result, we do not recommend using a slow cooker or pressure cooker (Instant Pot) for making risotto.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.