Summer Vegetable Risotto

Aerial view of prepared vegetable risotto in a white square dish.

5 from 1 vote

A creamy traditional risotto adorned with summer vegetables that are cooked just until tender-crisp. Parmesan cheese is the perfect finishing touch for this meatless entree.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: meatless meal, summer, vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 409kcal

Author: foodyschmoody

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
1 fennel chopped
2 Cloves garlic minced
1 Cup fresh peas
1 summer squash chopped
Pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Cup diced sweet onion
1 Cup arborio rice
½ Teaspoon cracked black pepper
32 Ounces vegetable stock warmed
¼ Cup dry white wine optional
½ Cup parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

Place the stock/broth in a medium sauce pan over high heat until just to a boil and then lower the heat to low/simmer.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in saute pan over medium heat. Add fennel, peas and squash. Season vegetables with salt. Cook 5 min, stirring occasionally, until tender but still crisp. Add garlic and cook 2 min more. Set aside. *See Note 1
Place butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. When butter is melted add onion and cook just until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook 2 min more, stirring to coat. Season with black pepper. If using wine, add the wine to the pan now and stir. Cook until most of the wine is absorbed, about 3 minutes. If not using wine, skip to next step.
Add 1 ladle of warm stock to rice mixture and stir, reduce heat to medium.
When stock is just about absorbed, stir in another ladle of stock and stir it in well. Continue this process until rice is tender (but still firm in the center), about 20 to 30 minutes. You may or may not use all of the stock.
Remove from heat and stir vegetable mixture into rice and then the parmesan cheese. If desired, you can also stir in another tablespoon of butter to add a little more richness. Serve warm.
Optional: Garnish with fennel fronds.

Notes

NOTE 1: If you prefer the vegetables to be soft rather than tender-crisp, add 2 tablespoons of stock to vegetables and cook 5 additional minutes.

NOTE 2: Change up the vegetables to whatever summer vegetables you prefer. Adding zucchini or fresh corn kernels would be great.

Nutrition