Pesto risotto is a delicious creamy rice infused with all the goodness of a pesto . I love to top it with tomato confit or roasted tomatoes to make it a perfect dish. Risotto is a dish I like to make when I want to feel fancy at home. And the best part is that it is so easy to make (yes stirring is a bit of a task but not that bad). This is great way to use up pesto you have at home. It is so flavorful and tasty! You can easily make this risotto vegan. For tomato confit instructions, click here.

Happy Cooking!

Servings: 3-4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 4-4.5 cups broth

• 2 tbsp butter

• 1 medium white onion finely chopped

• 1 cup arborio rice

• 1/2 cup basil pesto

• 3 oz cooking wine

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1/2 cup grated pecorino or gruyere cheese

• 1 tsp Salt as per taste

• 1/4 tsp Pepper

Directions: 

1. In a saucepan add the stock and heat until it comes to a low simmer. Let it stay on heat.

2. In a separate saucepan, heat butter on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook for 3-4 mins, until translucent.

3. Add the arborio rice and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring it till coated well.

4. Add the white wine with pesto and cook till it evaporates.

5. Add 1 cup of the stock at a time. Keep stirring until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 3/4th cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

6. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still has a bite (a bit more than al-dente), about 20-25 minutes

7. When the rice is cooked through add the salt and pepper. Mix it in and cook till the consistency you like.

8. Add the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese and mix it in.

9. Serve warm with some tomato confit or roasted tomatoes and garnished with Parmesan cheese and herbs.

Notes/Tips:

• Use freshly cracked black pepper if possible.

• Be sure to keep stirring in intervals so that the rice does not stick.

• The wine cooks off. You won’t taste it but it helps balance the flavors. You can skip it if you want. Replacements for the cooking white wine- use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar or half the amount of white wine.

• Keeping the stock on a low simmer helps the rice cook evenly and prevents slowing down the cooking process.

• Do not overcook the rice or it can become very mushy.

• You can use chicken stock if you like.

• Keep the heat on low-medium throughout the cooking process.

• Depending on the color of the stock, your risotto color may be lighter/darker.

• Vegan- Use olive oil instead of butter. Use any vegan cheese you like.

• For my homemade pesto recipe click here.