Tomato Risotto

End-of-the-season tomatoes still have tons of flavor and are perfect for juicing. That's what goes into this delicious and fresh-tasting Tomato Risotto. This dish doesn't use wine for acidity like traditional risotto, but instead uses a tomato-celery juice added towards the end, and a little lemon juice to brighten up the finish. No butter in this one, just olive oil, veggies and parmesan cheese for extra flavors.

Simple and fresh ingredients. I have a few extra celery stalks from our garden; a little smaller than celery you will find at the store.

Start by sweating the diced onion with some olive oil and a pinch of salt until translucent.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the arborio rice with another pinch of salt. Stir and cook for a few minutes until the rice gets warmed through and starts to get lightly toasted. Start adding your simmering liquid 1 to 2 cups at a time, stirring frequently and adding more liquid after it is absorbed.

What really gives this risotto the flavor is the tomato-celery juice that is added to finish cooking the rice. It gets super creamy and tastes wonderful.

Finish the risotto by adding olive oil, parmesan, chopped basil and a little lemon juice.

Stir it all together and it's time to plate it up.

Garnish with cherry tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil and some more shaved parmesan.

Contrast this creamy dish with some heirloom tomato toast.

Tomato Risotto

End of the season tomatoes still have tons of flavor and are prefect for juicing. That's what goes into this delicious & fresh tasting Tomato Risotto recipe

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Save Saved! Rate

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Justin McChesney-Wachs

Ingredients

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ onion diced
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 4-6 cups water or vegetable stock
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 pound ripe tomatores
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
• 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• kosher salt + pepper

Instructions

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onions and a pinch of salt; sweat the onions until translucent. Meanwhile, bring the water or stock to a simmer in a separate pot.
• Purée the ripe tomatoes and celery in a food processor or a blender until smooth. Put the purée through a fine mesh strainer, keeping the liquid and discarding the solids.
• Increase the heat in the pot with the onions and add the rice and another pinch of salt. Cook the rice for about 2 minutes to slightly toast.
• Start adding the water or stock about 1 ½ cups at at a time. Stir frequently and add more liquid as soon as the previous is absorbed. Cook the rice for about 15 minutes, then stir in the tomato-celery juice. Continue cooking for about 5 more minutes, or until the rice is al dente.
• Remove from heat and add the remaining olive oil, parmesan, lemon juice and basil. Season with salt + pepper to taste.
• Mix the halved cherry tomatoes in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt + pepper.
• Plate the risotto and garnish with cherry tomatoes + grated parmesan.

More Delicious Risotto recipes

• Kale and Farro
• Creamy Mushroom Risotto
• Salmon with Farro Risotto
• Green Garlic Risotto
• Bonus: Burst Tomato Pasta