This creamy main dish gets a splash of color with the addition of zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil. With much less butter than in a typical risotto recipe and no wine, there's no running around for ingredients you don't have on hand! The result is a lovely, light flavor in a very filling meal.
Ingredients
- vegetable or chicken stock: 7 cups
- butter: 1 Tbsp
- medium onion: 1 piece (chopped)
- Arborio rice, uncooked: 2 cups
- medium zucchini, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler: 0.5 piece
- sun-dried tomatoes, softened and: 10 piece (chopped)
- thyme: 1 tsp (crushed, dried)
- freshly grated Parmesan (or mozzarella) cheese: 6 Tbsp
- Fresh Basil Leaves: 1 Tbsp (to taste, chopped, optional)
- black pepper: (to taste, freshly ground)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Bring vegetable or chicken stock to a boil in a medium stock pot, then reduce heat to a low simmer.
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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.
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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.
