Tomato Risotto

I love a creamy risotto, especially in the colder months.

There’s something about the drop in weather that immediately makes me crave carbs once it turns into Fall.

This is my-take on a comforting bowl of risotto, made a tad lighter and healthier with tomatoes and basil.

It’s got the perfect balance of comforting & creamy but still fresh and vegetable-forward. It tastes like it came straight from the garden!

I like to make a big batch and freeze half for leftovers throughout the week. And for added protein, I serve it with a side of crispy chicken cutlets.

Tomato Risotto Recipe Video

two things I love growing myself in my apartment garden: tomatoes and herbs!

Tips for Making Tomato Risotto

Tomatoes

Since this is a pretty simple dish, the quality of your ingredients can make a big difference.

I used tomatoes grown in my indoor vegetable garden, but any good, flavorful tomato will work well.

Grate around 4 large tomatoes to have enough tomato ‘juice’.

I find it easiest to halve the tomatoes and grate cut side down. I use a box grater like this, so that the pulp and flesh can easily push through.

You can discard the tomato skins.

Those will leave a gritty, stringy taste so leave them out of the tomato juice mixture.

four large tomatoes should yield about 2.5-3 cups of tomato juice / pulp!

Risotto Rice

For risotto, the classic rice to use is arborio.

Or, you can substitute a short-grain rice like Japanese rice, but watch the cooking time. You want the rice to still have a small bite to it, without being hard.

For the liquid, I used a mixture of homemade chicken stock and water.

You could use chicken stock (for the best flavor), water, white wine, or a mixture of any/all of these.

Arborio rice needs around 2 cups of liquid per 1 cup of uncooked rice.

lightly toast the tomato paste and uncooked rice before adding in your liquid

Risotto in the Oven

Traditionally, risotto can be tricky to make because it takes a long time to cook arborio rice.

You’re supposed to stand over the stove, constantly stirring the rice and adding the liquid little by little, so that the rice can absorb it in stages.

I… don’t have time for that.

Instead, I like to pour in all the liquid, bring it to a simmer and stick the entire pan of risotto in the oven to cook.

I was skeptical before I tried it but it really works!

It takes about 30 minutes in total for the rice to fully cook.

You can check on it halfway through if you’re worried about the liquid quantity.

If the liquid is being absorbed too rapidly, add in a 1/2 cup more of water.

I used this heavy-bottom cast iron pan.

The sides are tall enough to hold all the liquid and the glass lid is convenient for checking on things without opening the oven.

once it’s out of the oven, stir in your parmesan cheese until the risotto is creamy. then garnish with basil, olive oil and/or butter!

Garnish

To finish off the risotto, I take it out of the oven.

Give everything a stir, making sure nothing has stuck to the bottom of the pan and all the liquid has been absorbed.

I like to grate in a ton of cheese, stirring well so that it melts into the rice.

Parmesan works well and gives the risotto a really creamy, cheesy finish. (I used a block of 12-month grana padano that I had on hand)

For this tomato risotto, I recommend topping it off with some basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

I really love the flavor of this basil oil in particular!

For a richer taste, you could add in a couple slabs of butter.

Overall, it’s a really simple, home-y recipe!

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