Zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil provide some color to this creamy main dish. There is no searching for things you don’t have because this recipe uses significantly less butter than a conventional risotto and doesn’t call for wine. As a result, the dinner has a pleasant, light flavor and is very filling.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 7 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cups Arborio rice, uncooked
- ½ medium zucchini, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler
- 10 sun-dried tomatoes, softened and chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
- 6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan (or mozzarella) cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves, or to taste (Optional)
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring vegetable or chicken stock to a boil in a medium stock pot, then reduce heat to a low simmer.
- Melt butter in a large, heavy bottomed stock pot over medium heat. Stir in onions and cook for 2 minutes, or until softened. Add the rice and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted. Gradually ladle in simmering vegetable stock, stirring continuously. Risotto will become “creamy” and slightly sticky, yet still firm in the center, or al dente.
- When almost finished, stir in the zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, and thyme, adding stock as needed and stirring continuously. Stir in basil and 3 tablespoons cheese just before serving. Divide risotto among 6 bowls, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and season with pepper to taste.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 364 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 71 g |
| Cholesterol | 10 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Sodium | 699 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 4 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Great risotto! I also used a whole zucchini. Wonderful risotto recipe.
Very yummy. So much so that I’m making it again a week later! I didn’t have thyme so I substituted oregano. I also just used dried basil. still delicious!
Love the flavors. Wish there were better instructions on cooking the risotto. I worked on it for quite a while but could not get my rice creamy. But the recipe is yummy
My meal was delicious. I also add the bella mushrooms for the earthy taste. Overall, magnifico meal.
This is so easy and delicious. I used 2 full zucchini and substituted brown jasmine rice for the Arborio. Delicious!!
Delightful recipe. Very fresh take on risotto. The sundried tomato and fresh basil flavor really makes the dish in my opinion. I served this as a side with Italian style breaded pork chops for a lovely meal.
I really liked this. Good flavor! I couldn’t find arborio rice at store on small town, so I used some quinoa that I had. Let it boil a bit longer!
Other than using dried basil, I followed the recipe. My family really enjoyed it. I have already passed the recipe to my niece. I will make this dish again.
easy and tasty
This was excellent! I followed the recipe exactly except for adding about a quarter cup of sherry. Yum! Even better the next day.
Excellent recipe! Everybody loved it and it was super easy to make. Will definitely make this again.
This was delicious! I scaled back the ingredients as I was cooking for 2 but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Definitely went great with our grilled salmon.
I made this by the recipe first time, but then made it so much better. I added 2 small zucchini, 2 small yellow squash, a can of chick peas and a cup of edamame, a hand full of spinach, and some fresh tomatoes with the jarred sundried tomatoes, I once had no Arborio and used a box mix of quick cheese risotto and omg! We love our Veggie risotto version, so good and we always like to make it with seared scallops placed on top then covered in fresh parmesan. It’s so so good ! Sometimes if we have it we use some white wine with the broth too.
Easy and yummy!
Outstanding one pot recipe…I just chicken bone broth and sliced the Zucchini thing and then in Strips and used sundried tomatoes in oil. Just a little variation…awesome flavor.
If you make this use Better Than Bouillon Chicken broth paste. I add about a teaspoon per cup of liquid. It turns out great every time. This is where much of the flavor is. If you use a watered down broth it is not as good. Also, use real butter not margarine. It is best cooked while stirring in the liquid little by little or a cup at a time because this allows the flavors to develop. I love sun dried tomatoes. The more the merrier. Also, sprinkle a little lemon juice on the finished risotto to brighten up the dish as well as ground black pepper.
So this was my first of many risotto’s I will fix in my life. I had to do a couple things different (due to lack of certain ingredients). I used steamed California blend veggies in place of zucchini and spinach and dry basil in place of fresh basil I also used the chicken stock after it boiled to soften and reconstitute the sun dried tomatoes. I finished the dish by adding cooked chicken breast tenders. Everything else I followed spot on.
Was delicious I added mushrooms and onions. Will definitely make again.
I made this, and the only adjustment I made was to halve the recipe. This was simple to prepare and I thought it was delicious! Hearty and filling, and the sun dried tomato really gives this a zing. Unfortunately my husband and neither of my sons cared for it, otherwise I would have given it 5 stars.
I baked 1 zucchini, 1 Bell P, 1/2 bundle asparagus and 1/2 cauliflower in oven with little olive oil, salt & pepper then added to my risotto at the end along with the sun dried tom and Parmesan cheese. Came out wonderful but will leave the Thyme out next time as its too overpowering for my taste. Also added garlic to my risotto and stirred the entire time ~20 min.
I followed this recipe almost exactly and loved it. It turned out wonderfully creamy and flavorful.