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    Home » Recipes » Entrées

    Published: Jan 25, 2022 · Modified: Aug 11, 2022 · This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

    Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Risotto Recipe

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    sun-dried tomato risotto recipe Spanish pin
    sun-dried tomato risotto recipe
    sun-dried tomato risotto recipe
    VNFGF

    I'm always looking into developing easy recipes to try out, and this one definitely fits the bill. This Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Risotto recipe is both quick and easy to make but still has plenty of flavors. Best of all, it's perfect for a casual dinner party or even a romantic night in. Give it a try!

    enjoy your creamy sun-dried tomato risotto recipe
    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    You're going to love this tomato basil risotto recipe.

    We have always enjoyed making risotto, as it is our go-to dinner when we really have no clue what to have for dinner and just have an onion and maybe one or two fresh vegetables in the kitchen.

    Our mushrooms risotto is one that we do either with dried mushrooms or fresh ones, just like this one.

    We also make the famous Risotto Alla Milanese, which only needs a fresh onion; the rest we can find in our pantry.

    With a lemon, an onion, and a zucchini, make this perfect Lemony Winter risotto, or the fantastic Zesty Lemon Asparagus Risotto, as a springtime favorite.

    Risottos mean a world of endless possibilities of delicious and creamy comfort food, and this red sauce risotto makes the perfect vegetarian main for Valentine's easy but delicious recipe!

    It can also make a great side dish, in small portions.

    sun-dried tomato risotto spoon with creamy rice
    Jump to:
    • 🤔 Why you will love it?
    • 🧾  Ingredients
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 📖 Variations
    • 🥢 How to serve
    • 🍅 Health benefits of tomatoes
    • 📚 More risotto recipes
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 🌡️ Food safety
    • 💬 Reviews and Comments

    🤔 Why you will love it?

    You can make risotto with ingredients you have available in your pantry. Fresh ingredients needed: one onion and optionally fresh basil.

    • It takes less than 30 minutes to make.
    • Everything is made in one skillet.
    • It is cheap.
    • No fancy cookware is needed.
    • It is a crowd-pleaser.
    • Naturally gluten-free and vegan.
    • Apt for most of the dietary restrictions.

    🧾  Ingredients

    tomato risotto ingredients
    • Carnarolli rice (or arborio rice)
    • Sun-dried tomatoes
    • Tomato paste
    • Onion
    • Garlic cloves
    • Nutritional yeast (or parmesan cheese if vegetarian)
    • Vegetable broth
    • Olive oil
    • Dry white wine
    • Fresh basil

    Optional: ground black pepper and fresh cherry tomatoes.

    🔪 Instructions

    Prepare ingredients

    Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.

    finely chop the onion and garlic
    add dried tomatoes to veggie stock

    Put the vegetable stock to simmer with the chopped dried tomatoes on a medium saucepan.

    Make sure you keep using hot broth throughout the cooking process to keep the rice temperature constant.

    Stir-fry

    stir fry the onion and add the minced garlic once the onion is translucent

    In a medium or large skillet, stir the chopped onion with two tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat until the onion looks translucent. Then add garlic.

    add the carnarolli or arborio rice

    Add the carnarolli rice, and stir frequently with a wooden spoon until it dries out.

    Cook stirring occasionally

    pour the white wine once the rice has dried out

    Pour the white wine (⅓ cup white wine), until the wine is completely absorbed.

    stir in the tomato paste

    Add tomato paste to the chopped hydrated chopped tomatoes, and stir frequently.

    keep adding vegetable broth gradually as the rice dries out

    As soon as it dries, pour about one cup of vegetable stock. Keep stirring constantly.

    stir in the nutritional yeast

    Reduce to low heat, add the tomato paste, keep adding the vegetable broth and let it be absorbed by the rice. As soon as you notice that the rice starts to look dry.

    drizzle with olive oil, stir and add a couple of basil leaves on top

    Add the nutritional yeast, let it melt while stirring the tomato risotto, and add the basil leaves.

    drizzle with olive oil, stir and add a couple of basil leaves on top

    Top tip: Remember to keep stirring frequently while you add the hot broth throughout the whole cooking process, and add more as it gets absorbed by the rice; this is where the secret to making risotto is.

    Final touches

    Finally, add some extra basil leaves, and stir until the rice is cooked al dente. Drizzle some extra olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

    Let the risotto rice sit for a couple of minutes before serving to consolidate the flavors.

    enjoy your creamy sun-dried tomato risotto recipe

    Optionally serve the risotto with extra nutritional yeast, homemade vegan parmesan cheese, or grated cheese.

    📖 Variations

    Carnarolli vs Arborio rice

    As they say here in Italy, the best risotto is made with carnarolli rice, but arborio rice is also acceptable short-grain rice.

    sun-dried tomato risotto recipe 45 degrees view served with a bagette

    In fact, before arriving to live in Northern Italy, where risotto was born, I used to make risotto with arborio rice until I was repeatedly told that it was the second option if you could not find Carnarolli rice by any means.

    I tried to compare the two several times, and yes, I can tell, that you will definitely make a creamier risotto if you go for Carnarolli.

    Sun-dried tomato

    You can use fresh tomatoes, like cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, canned tomatoes, or San Marzano tomatoes. Just make sure you pick juicy tomatoes.

    Sun-dried tomatoes are also great in lentil salads and they make great stuffed portobello mushrooms filling, fantastic pesto rosso, tofu pesto, and fettuccine with rosé sauce.

    dried tomatoes in a basket at the farmer's market
    sun-dried tomatoes
    cherry tomatoes
    cherry tomatoes

    I often do, but this recipe was built with two things in mind:

    1. Making a delicious meal, with a minimal amount of fresh produce, for those days, when your fridge is almost empty, but you still have an onion around.
    2. Making this delicious tomato risotto recipe, even in wintertime, we cannot make a fresh summery tomato risotto.

    I often add a couple of charred cherry tomatoes to our tomato risotto when I still have some fresh tomatoes.

    optionally cut in half a handful of cherry tomatoes

    If you are using fresh tomatoes, like San Marzano tomatoes, dice and add to the risotto immediately after adding wine.

    Note on dried tomatoes

    Here in Italy where we buy our tomatoes at the farmer's market, there are often different kinds. We usually go for the cheaper ones that are about 7.5 euros (8.5 dollars) for 2.2 lbs (1 Kg), since the other varieties cost twice as much.

    The last time we asked the nona (granny seller), she recommended we keep going for the cheaper option because they are more "Saporito" = tasty.

    The other ones are more delicate in flavor and sweet.

    BUT: you have to be careful, sun-dried tomatoes are often made with less or more salt, and these are SALTY, so we don0t use any salt on our risotto, as they have plenty.

    So, adjust salt and pepper to your liking, at the end of the cooking process.

    Tomato paste

    You can also make this red sauce risotto with tomato sauce if you don't have concentrated tomato paste but have some Italian passata.

    The tomato sauce will be consumed and reduced as you cook the risotto, creating the same effect.

    Basil

    You can use dried basil instead of fresh basil to make this tomato basil risotto, the result will be slightly different, as the fresh basil aroma is unique.

    Still, you can definitely replace it with one tablespoon of the dried stuff.

    If you are using tomato puree instead of tomato paste, you can also go for a tomato basil puree, so you have your basil fixed for additional convenience.

    Nutritional yeast

    We have chosen to use nutritional yeast to make this tomato risotto vegan, and nutritional yeast is the best vegan tool to get that cheesy flavor that we all love.

    If you are a vegetarian, you can replace it with the same quantity of grated parmesan cheese.

    Extra-virgin olive oil

    Same as above. Risotto is usually made with butter at the beginning of the process and a little butter at the end for the "mantecatura" (to give the finished dish an even creamier texture).

    We use olive oil to keep the tomato risotto vegan because olive oil pairs well with tomatoes and fresh basil.

    Tomatoes and tomato-based products have been linked to better skin health and decreased heart disease and cancer risk.

    Tomatoes can improve a variety of foods, but they may also benefit your entire body. These nutrients can also help your skin's health and decrease wrinkles and inflammation.

    But it is fully replaceable with vegan butter or margarine.

    Wine

    It is recommended to use a dry white wine variety such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot grigio. Although not considered a dry wine, I have successfully made my risottos with Ribolla Gialla, a mineral, fresh, and slightly fruity wine variety.

    🥢 How to serve

    We love scraping the goodness out of our plates, as every Italian does. Bread will always be on an Italian table... a good one.

    We love making nice artisan bread (Italian 3-ingredient Pagnotta, or simple and tasty focaccia) to indulge in during Italian dinners fully.

    🍅 Health benefits of tomatoes

    Tomatoes' health benefits include healthy skin, cholesterol reduction, and cancer prevention.

    Eating tomatoes may help protect against some cancers. In a study of 40,000 people, those who ate more than seven servings of tomato-based foods per week had a 28 percent lower risk of prostate cancer than those who consumed less than one serving per week.

    Other research has found that Lycopene – a compound found in tomatoes – may help fight heart disease and cancer.

    More about the health benefits of tomatoes.

    Learn to include tomatoes in your morning juices, even without a juicer.

    📚 More risotto recipes

    Although considered a "primo piatto" or appetizer in Italy, risottos make the perfect vegetarian main dish.

    Risottos are put together in 30 minutes or less with a few ingredients, so it is a great idea to have a good repertoire of risotto recipes.

    These are a couple of our favorites also on this site.

    The Risotto alla Milanese, is a great option for those who like Traditional Italian Cuisine.

    If you are like me and love lemons everywhere, this Lemony winter risotto is for you, as well as our all-times crowd-pleaser Lemony Spaghetti.

    Fall season? Why don't you put your mushrooms to good use with a Creamy Mushroom Risotto?

    Last but not least, if you like some creamy sweetness in your risotto, go for the Roasted Pumpkin risotto or this simple butternut squash risotto version.

    enjoy your creamy sun-dried tomato recipe with bread

    ⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

    📋 Recipe

    sun-dried tomato risotto recipe featured image

    Creamy Tomato Risotto Recipe

    Gus
    A creamy and delicious sun-dried tomato risotto recipe, perfect for any hassle-free vegan or meat-free meal as it is made with staple pantry ingredients.
    4.9 from 25 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Appetizer, Main Course
    Cuisine Comfort Food, Italian-Inspired
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 348 kcal

    Equipment

    Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless Nonstick 2-Piece 9-Inch and 11-Inch Skillet Set - Black And Silver.
    (affiliate link)
    Skillet (affiliate link)
    Cuisinart Garlic Press.
    (affiliate link)
    Garlic press (affiliate link)
    15 Piece Kitchen Knife Set with Block by Cuisinart, Cutlery Set, Triple Rivet Collection.
    (affiliate link)
    Knife (affiliate link)

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 3 tablespoons tomato paste organic tomato concentrate
    • 2 oz dried tomatoes 50 grams, chopped
    • 1 cup carnarolli rice or arborio rice, 7 oz, 200 grams
    • 1 onion chopped, or 3 spring onions
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 5 cups vegetable broth hot
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus, optional extra to serve
    • 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast or homemade vegan parmesan cheese
    • 8 leaves basil fresh, more to garnish
    • ⅓ cup white wine dry, optional

    Optional for garnishing:

    • 10 cherry tomatoes charred
    • salt and pepper to taste or chili pepper flakes
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Directions
     

    Prepare the vegetable stock

    • Put your vegetable stock to simmer. If using granulated store-bought veggie stock, bring the water to boil and prepare according to packaging instructions. Hydrate the chopped dried tomatoes by adding them to the broth.

    Prepare the onions and garlic

    • Peel and chop your onions. Finely chop the onions. Mince the garlic cloves.

    Making the risotto (about 15-20 minutes)

    • On medium heat, add one tablespoon of olive oil, stir-fry the onions until translucent, and then add the garlic.
    • Add the risotto rice, stir until lightly toasted, add wine or ⅓ cup of vegetable broth, and stir until completely absorbed.
    • With a colander, skim the hydrated chopped dried tomatoes from the simmering vegetable stock and add them to the rice.
    • Stir in the vegetable broth, little by little, stirring frequently, and then add the tomato paste. Keep adding more veggie broth, ½ cup at a time. Add more as soon as the rice absorbs it.
    • On minute ten, add nutritional yeast or (homemade vegan parmesan), followed by fresh basil.

    Garnish and serve.

    • When the rice is 'al dente', add one last tablespoon of olive oil and stir.
    • Remove from the heat, let it sit for 2-5 minutes, and serve. Garnish with fresh basil, Vegan Parm Cheese, and freshly cracked black pepper or chili flakes to add some heat.

    Video

    Notes

    Look at the Tips on the post body, for variations and substitutions.

    Nutrition Facts

    Calories: 348kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 11gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 1287mgPotassium: 877mgFiber: 6gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 986IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 4mg
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram and Hashtag it #ourplantbasedworld so we can see what's cooking!!
    Nutrition Facts
    Creamy Tomato Risotto Recipe
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    348
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    8
    g
    12
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    6
    %
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    5
    g
    Sodium
     
    1287
    mg
    56
    %
    Potassium
     
    877
    mg
    25
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    60
    g
    20
    %
    Fiber
     
    6
    g
    25
    %
    Sugar
     
    10
    g
    11
    %
    Protein
     
    11
    g
    22
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    986
    IU
    20
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    10
    mg
    12
    %
    Calcium
     
    30
    mg
    3
    %
    Iron
     
    4
    mg
    22
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
     
    FREE RECIPE EBOOK
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    🌡️ Food safety

    • Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
    • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
    • Wash hands after touching raw meat
    • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave cooking food unattended
    • Use oils with high smoking points to avoid harmful compounds
    • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

    The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.

    Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I recommend all of the products listed because they are companies I have found helpful and trustworthy.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Emily says

      January 26, 2022 at 7:03 pm

      I love risotto! Never thought of making it with sun dried tomatoes, yum! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Gus says

        January 26, 2022 at 9:29 pm

        Oh yes! It is an easy-peasy option for a quick risotto! you are welcome!

        Reply
    2. Tara says

      January 26, 2022 at 7:09 pm

      5 stars
      Oh yum! You had me at quick and easy with still has plenty of flavors. Looks so good!

      Reply
    3. Alison says

      January 26, 2022 at 7:25 pm

      5 stars
      This is beautiful and so flavorful with the sundried tomatoes. All the flavors meld together in the best possible way!

      Reply
      • Gus says

        January 26, 2022 at 8:00 pm

        Thank you, Alison! We Are glad you enjoyed it! And yes! The color of this risotto is one of my favs!

        Reply
    4. Casey says

      January 26, 2022 at 8:24 pm

      5 stars
      This dish was full of flavor--LOVE LOVE sundried tomatoes and never thought of putting them in risotto! (not sure why...??!) SO YUMMY!

      Reply
    5. Jamie says

      January 26, 2022 at 8:27 pm

      5 stars
      This risotto is so full of tomato flavor! I love how satisfying and delicious this was for dinner!

      Reply
      • Gus says

        January 26, 2022 at 9:26 pm

        Thank you, Jamie, we are glad you love the super tomato flavor boost! Pomodoro power! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Nathan says

      January 26, 2022 at 8:36 pm

      5 stars
      I love risotto, such a comforting dish. The sun-dried tomatoes really make this recipe fantastic! I'll definitely make this again.

      Reply
      • Gus says

        January 26, 2022 at 9:31 pm

        I am glad you loved the risotto, Nathan! I feel honored to be on your "recipes to make again" list! 🙂

        Reply
    7. kate says

      January 27, 2022 at 9:40 pm

      5 stars
      my mom made this a few times this week cuz i keep asking for more! awesome recipe!

      Reply
    8. Chris says

      January 28, 2022 at 11:00 am

      5 stars
      This is the best tomato risotto! Sun-dried tomatoes created a unique flavor! I loved it! Thank you.

      Reply
    9. Natalie says

      January 28, 2022 at 7:01 pm

      5 stars
      Beautiful risotto. The texture is amazing. Looks really delish!

      Reply
      • Gus says

        February 08, 2022 at 8:15 pm

        I am glad you liked risotto, Natalie! We are fans of textures as well1

        Reply
    10. Ana says

      January 28, 2022 at 8:11 pm

      5 stars
      Yum! I've never had a risotto quite like this before! It was incredibly flavorful and delicious. Lovely recipe. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Gus says

        January 28, 2022 at 8:31 pm

        Thanks got your review, Ana! It was an eye-opener for us as well! It came out of nothing since we didn't have fresh tomatoes, but dried tomatoes and we loooove tomato risotto! It came out even better"

        Reply
    11. Jacqui says

      January 29, 2022 at 4:56 pm

      5 stars
      Sun dried tomatoes are my absolute favorite, so this can only be delicious!

      Reply
    12. Holly says

      November 28, 2022 at 4:59 pm

      5 stars
      Very nice recipe. I used Arborio rice and the texture was spot on. Thanks!

      Reply
    13. nancy says

      November 28, 2022 at 6:08 pm

      5 stars
      man this Sun-dried Tomato Risotto recipe was so flavourful and satisfying. I love the flavour combination. so simple yet so robust!

      Reply
    14. Erin says

      November 28, 2022 at 6:59 pm

      5 stars
      This creamy sun-dried tomato risotto was a hit ... great recipe!

      Reply
    15. Cindy says

      November 28, 2022 at 8:46 pm

      5 stars
      Tastes like it took hours to make, but it's so simple and delicious.

      Reply
      • Gus says

        November 29, 2022 at 8:26 am

        I am glad you liked it, Cindy, and yes, it´s hard to believe it is so quick to make!

        Reply
    16. Katie says

      November 29, 2022 at 8:47 am

      5 stars
      This risotto is amazing! I love the combination of the creaminess with the sundried tomatoes!

      Reply

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