Tomato Risotto
Ingredients
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- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup passata (tomato puree)
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion – finely chopped (~0.5 medium onions)
- 1 1/2 cups carnaroli rice
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter – cold, cut into small cubes
- 3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese – finely grated
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper – freshly ground
- fresh basil leaves – torn (for serving)
Instructions
1. Combine the vegetable broth and passata in a saucepan; bring to a bare simmer and keep hot over low heat.
2. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a wide heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent without browning, 5–7 minutes.
3. Add the carnaroli rice and stir constantly to toast until the edges look translucent and the grains smell nutty, 2–3 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to caramelize it.
5. Pour in the dry white wine and stir until mostly absorbed, about 2 minutes.
6. Begin adding the hot tomato mixture from step 1 a ladle at a time, stirring often and maintaining a gentle simmer. Add the next ladle only when the previous one is mostly absorbed. Continue until the rice is al dente and suspended in a creamy, flowing sauce, 16–20 minutes.
7. Off the heat, vigorously stir in the unsalted butter and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese until glossy and emulsified, about 1 minute. Season with the kosher salt and black pepper.
8. Let rest 1 minute, then serve immediately with fresh basil leaves torn over the top.
Tomato Risotto is a northern Italian rice dish that marries the gentle starch of risotto rice with the bright, savory depth of ripe tomatoes. The texture should be all’onda—creamy and softly flowing—so the grains move like a wave on the plate. Balanced acidity, subtle sweetness from tomato, and the savory backbone of cheese make it comforting yet vivid, with aromatics that stay in the background.
While risotto is rooted in the rice-growing regions of northern Italy, tomatoes—arriving after the Columbian exchange—became part of Italian cooking later. Tomato-based risotti likely emerged as cooks layered newer tomato sauces into established risotto technique. Today, it’s a beloved year-round variant, especially popular when tomatoes are at their peak or when using high-quality passata to capture that peak flavor anytime.