This Roasted Tomato and Pesto Risotto is the perfect comfort food. Made with sweet caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes and creamy pesto. Perfectly served as a weeknight meal or a side on your holiday table.
There are days when I just want to get a quick meal on the table, like grilled chicken or a quick pasta dish. Then there are the days when I want to put a little more time into preparing dinner making the outcome a bit fancier. This Roasted Tomato & Pesto Risotto is definitely for one of those days. Don’t let that fool you. Just because the a dish takes time doesn’t mean it’s difficult to do. With a little planning and some patience you can have a restaurant quality dish right from your own kitchen.
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What You Need To Make This Dish
Equipment:
- Large Frying Pan: I like to use a ceramic non stick frying pan. I like ceramic rather than teflon because they do not release any toxins when hot.
- Ladle: This is perfect for adding liquid to your rice.
- Wooden Spoon: For string your ingredients.
Ingredients:
- Arborio Rice:: This is a short grain Italian rice known for its high starch content which creates a creamy texture when cooked.
- Chicken Broth: Used to add depth of flavor while creating a creamy texture.
- Grape Tomatoes: You will want to puncture your tomatoes before roasting them. This will prevent them from bursting while cooking.
- Onion: Chopped into small pieces.
- Garlic: Finely minced.
- White Wine: This will add a bit of acidity to the dish. The best choice is a Pinot Grigio or a Sauvignon Blanc.
- Parmesan Cheese: This will add a salty creaminess to the dish.
- Olive Oil: To coat your pan.
- Salt & Pepper: To taste.
- Fresh Thyme: Added to your tomatoes to give them an herbaceous flavor.
- Basil Pesto: Fresh or store bought.
Roasted Tomato & Pesto Risotto
Course: SidesCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium10
servings15
minutes35
minutesThis Roasted Tomato & Pesto Risotto is the perfect comfort food. Made with sweet caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes and creamy pesto. Perfectly served as a weeknight meal or a side on your holiday table.
Ingredients
1 Cup Arborio rice
2 Cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 Onion finely chopped
3 Cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 Cup white wine.
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese + more for serving.
1 Pint of grape tomatoes
2 – 3 Tablespoons olive oil
Basil pesto for serving
Salt and pepper to taste.
Fresh thyme
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375º. Place tomatoes on a large baking sheet. Puncture each tomato so that they do not pop while cooking. Coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper and place in the preheated oven to roast until skins start to brown and tomatoes have softened, about 20 minutes.
- Pour broth into a medium saucepan set over medium low heat to keep warm.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until translucent. Add the minced garlic and continue cooking for another minute or two or until fragrant. Stir in the rice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to make sure its well coated.
- Add the white wine and stir occasionally until most of the wine has been absorbed. Gradually add the warm broth 1 ladle at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more. Continue this process until the rice turns creamy and is cooked to al dente, about 20 minutes.
- Once the risotto has reached the desired consistency, stir in the grated cheese until melted.
- Remove from heat, stir in the roasted tomatoes and add dollops of pesto on top. Top with fresh basil and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and serve.
- Enjoy.
