A bowl filled with tomato risotto is an unbeatable main or side dish for the spring and summer months! Tomato sauce and fresh basil do their magic in this simple, 30-minute vegetarian recipe.
Listen up, lovers of meals prepared with food already in the kitchen. This recipe is for you!
With simple tomato passata, risotto rice, and classic seasoning, this risotto al pomodoro is a pure treat.
You will be ready to devour it in half an hour, and the dish is so colorful, it really makes for a great meal to share - or not!
You can prepare this recipe as described for two people as a main dish, or use it as a side and serve three or four with some grilled proteins and some extra vegetables.
It is a perfect spring and summer dish, just like lemon and zucchini risotto, pancetta and spinach risotto, and Sicilian salmon risotto, so you can spend the seasons alternating between risotto recipes!
💎 Why This Recipe Works
- If you love Italian tomato sauce, then this risotto recipe is the perfect one for you to try!
- This creamy tomato risotto uses grated Parmesan cheese and cold butter to achieve its creaminess, like most risottos! No heavy cream involved!
- Simple to prepare with a few steps, you will be enjoying this dish in 30 minutes - like our lemon asparagus risotto and salmon asparagus risotto.
🛒 Ingredients
- Rice: Use your preferred or available risotto rice. For this recipe I used Arborio, however, Carnaroli can be used too! If you want a change from Arborio rice, here's a great article we wrote to share all you need to know about the four best types of risotto rice.
- Tomato Passata: You may also know it as strained tomatoes or tomato puree. Choose one that has no additional flavorings or seasoning. Just pure tomato!
- Parmesan Cheese: If you can, opt for the one you grate at home. Pre-grated cheese tends to have additives, like non-caking agents, that make the end result a little clumpy.
Be sure to check out the recipe card for all the ingredients and instructions you'll need to make this dish. Don't miss out on any of the details!
♻️ Substitutions and Variations
- Tomato: If you don't have passata (which means 'strained' in Italian, by the way), you can use tinned chopped tomatoes, although, the result will be different. The diced tomatoes will offer a different consistency to the creaminess of passata, although it will work well. This recipe is not written to use fresh tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, sorry!
- Broth: I use vegetable broth for this recipe, as it is a vegetarian one. You could use chicken broth if you didn't have any, but no beef stock, as it is too strong.
- Onion: White, brown, or yellow work best. You could use red onion or shallots too.
- Herbs: Fresh basil is a must for this recipe, and dried won't work. If you don't have it, just skip it! And if you love basil with rice, try this basil fried rice recipe too.
- Red Pepper Flakes: In addition to the fresh herbs, you could add some to give it a slight kick.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Tomato Risotto
- Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil, then toast the rice. [Picture 1]
- Add the tomato sauce and fresh basil leaves. [Picture 2]
- Simmer until the extra water evaporates. [Picture 3]
- Cook the rice using the vegetable stock. [Picture 4]
- Once al dente, add the cold butter and cheese. [Picture 5]
- Rest the tomato risotto and serve with fresh basil for garnish. [Picture 6]
🙋♀️ People Also Ask [FAQs]
Use vegan butter instead of dairy butter. Replace traditional Parmesan cheese with a vegan alternative or nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor. The risotto will still have a creamy texture, as this type of rice has a starchy grain, which will be released while cooking.
Most tomato sauces that are too acidic can be fixed with a little sweetness! Balance the acidity with a pinch of sugar or extra cheese to mellow out the flavor.
Store the leftover risotto with tomato and basil in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can freeze it the same way up to 2 months. Reheat it on the stove with a splash of broth or water until warmed through, stirring frequently, on low heat. If you freeze it, it is best to thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating it.
💡 Expert Tips and Tricks
- Tomato Paste: Add a small amount of tomato paste to the base when cooking your onions and garlic to deepen the umami flavor of the risotto. This will add an extra layer of flavor, even though you are adding more tomatoes later!
- Eat It Fresh: Fresh tomato risotto will always taste better than reheated, as its consistency will slightly change. It will still taste amazing, but more cooked!
🍴 More Delicious Recipes to Try
🍽️ Recipe
Tomato Risotto (Risotto Al Pomodoro)
Ingredients
- 160 g Risotto Rice
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ Onion Finely Chopped
- 1 Garlic Clove Peeled and Kept Whole
- 250 g Tomato Passata
- 5-6 Basil Leaves More to Garnish
- 1 tablespoon Butter Fridge Cold
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese Freshly Grated
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- 500 ml Vegetable Broth Use Only As Much As Needed
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetable broth and keep it on a light simmer. As it is added to the risotto gradually, it needs to be warm to ensure even cooking.
- In a pan with a heavy bottom, heat up the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the thinly chopped onion, peeled but whole garlic and a pinch of salt. Sautee the ingredients until the onion turns translucent and soft. This will take about 4 minutes.
- Increase the heat to high, and add the risotto rice to the pan. Mix well, ensuring each grain is coated in oil, and allow it to toast. This will take 1-2 minutes.
- Once the edges of the grains start to turn translucent and change color, decrease the flame to medium.
- Remove the whole garlic clove from the saucepan.
- Add the tomato passata and fresh basil leaves to the pan and mix well.
- Cook until the dish becomes very thick, and all the extra water of the sauce has evaporated. Mix frequently. This will take approximately 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Next, add a ladle of vegetable broth to the tomato risotto. Maintain a gentle simmer, stir occasionally, and add broth as soon ad the last ladle is almost all absorbed.
- Keep on cooking the risotto adding stock as needed until the rice is cooked to your liking. For al dente, this will take approximately 18-20 minutes.
- Once the risotto is cooked, taste for seasoning and adjust the salt and black pepper.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the cold butter and Parmesan cheese to the risotto, mixing well until the ingredients have blended all together.
- Allow the risotto al pomodoro to rest for a couple of minutes, then serve as planned. Enjoy!
Notes
- Broth: You may not require all the broth. I am usually left with about a ladle of it for this recipe, but as you keep it warm, some may evaporate, so it's better to have extra prepared.
- Tomato Passata: You may also know it as strained tomatoes or tomato puree. Choose one that has no additional flavorings or seasoning. Just pure tomato!
- Acidic Tomato: Most tomato sauces that are too acidic can be fixed with a little sweetness! Balance the acidity with a pinch of sugar or extra cheese to mellow out the flavor.
- Storing and Reheating: Store the leftover risotto with tomato and basil in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can freeze it the same way up to 2 months. Reheat it on the stove with a splash of broth or water until warmed through, stirring frequently, on low heat. If you freeze it, it is best to thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating it.
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