Tomato Risotto
Tomato Risotto (Risotto al Pomodoro) is a simple risotto recipe. Creamy arborio rice and juicy tomatoes cook together in a flavorful broth made with garlic, chicken broth and white wine. It is then finished with as much pecorino or parmesan cheese as your heart desires and a touch of fresh basil! It is an absolute perfect summertime dish.
Creamy Tomato Risotto Recipe
Ever since I made my garlic shrimp risotto recipe a couple of years ago, I have been a risotto making machine. Everyone always talks about how difficult risotto is to make, but I truthfully do not believe that. I actually feel like it is pretty forgiving and easy to make. Sure, you need to give it a good stir every few minutes, but you can handle that. I believe in you!
I love risotto so much that since my initial recipe, I have also made a zucchini risotto, sausage risotto, butternut squash and goat cheese risotto, and now this deliciously simple creamy tomato risotto recipe.
This recipe uses a blend of arborio rice, fresh cherry tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, garlic, onion, pecorino cheese, and white wine. I love adding a splash of wine in my risotto. It really brightens up the flavor.
I only really started cooking with wine in the past two years and I remember when I first did it, I was just so amazed at how much more “restaurant quality” my recipes became. Honestly, just a couple of splashes of wine in a stew or risotto completely elevates the flavor.
What is Risotto?
Risotto is an Italian rice dish combining a short grain rice with liquids and slowly cooking it until creamy. The type of rice that is used is “Arborio”. Also, because it is a type of rice, it is naturally gluten free.
Is Risotto difficult to make?
Risotto definitely needs more stirring than making regular rice, but the stirring is not constant and it is cooked in under 30 minutes. I think Risotto is pretty easy to make, it just requires a bit of attention.
Risotto is one of those dishes that I was always scared to make because it is known to be “temperamental”. The thing is though, I don’t actually think it is. I feel like all it needs is a few extra stirs and it always ends up turning delicious.
The only thing that may be “extra” about risotto is that you need to buy a specific type of rice. Risotto uses Arborio Rice. Most people don’t keep Arborio rice in their pantry, so you may have to plan this recipe in advanced. This recipe may not be considered a “quick” weeknight meal, but I do believe it is easy to make. Especially on a night when you have a bit more time or on a Sunday afternoon.
INGREDIENTS FOR TOMATO RISOTTO (RISOTTO AL POMODORO)
- 1 cup Arborio Rice
- 1/2 Yellow Onion
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 2 Roma Tomatoes
- 10 oz Grape Tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1/4 cup White Wine sauvignon blanc or chardonnay
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese
- 5 leaves Basil
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt plus more to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add butter to a large saute pan. Once the butter is melted, add the diced onion and garlic. Stir until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add the rice, 1/4 tsp sea salt, and roma tomatoes to the pan. Stir to mix it with the onions and garlic. Add the wine and two cups of the broth and cook on medium heat until liquid is almost evaporated. Give this a good stir every couple of minutes.
- Once the liquid is almost gone, add in your grape tomatoes, and then continue adding the broth one cup at a time. You should always wait until the broth has cooked into the rice before you add each cup of broth. You should see that the dish is becoming very creamy. Give it a good stir every few minutes.
- Once the fourth cup of broth has evaporated, the risotto should be fully cooked. The risotto should be soft and creamy, but not watery. If you think the risotto is hard, add a little water(1/4 cup), stir, and cook it for an additional 5 minutes or until it has cooked into the rice.
- Remove it from the heat and stir in the cheese and fresh basil. Then, taste it and add a little salt or pepper to taste. I like to save some of the cheese to use it as a topping when I plate the recipe.
Tomato Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 cup Arborio Rice
- 1/2 Yellow Onion
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 2 Roma Tomatoes
- 10 oz Grape Tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1/4 cup White Wine sauvignon blanc or chardonnay
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese
- 5 leaves Basil
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Add butter to a large saute pan. Once the butter is melted, add the diced onion and garlic. Stir until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add the rice, 1/4 tsp sea salt, and roma tomatoes to the pan. Stir to mix it with the onions and garlic. Add the wine and two cups of the broth and cook on medium heat until liquid is almost evaporated. Give this a good stir every couple of minutes.
- Once the liquid is almost gone, add in your grape tomatoes, and then continue adding the broth one cup at a time. You should always wait until the broth has cooked into the rice before you add each cup of broth. You should see that the dish is becoming very creamy. Give it a good stir every few minutes.
- Once the fourth cup of broth has evaporated, the risotto should be fully cooked. The risotto should be soft and creamy, but not watery. If you think the risotto is hard, add a little water(1/4 cup), stir, and cook it for an additional 5 minutes or until it has cooked into the rice.
- Remove it from the heat and stir in the cheese and fresh basil. Then, taste it and add a little salt or pepper to taste. I like to save some of the cheese to use it as a topping when I plate the recipe.
