Italy
Zucchini Risotto with Parmesan
Creamy Arborio risotto with two textures of zucchini, dry white wine and plenty of finely grated Parmesan.
- Cuisine
- Italian cuisine
- Meal type
- Main course
- Servings
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 22 min
- Total
- 37 min
Recipe
This risotto uses grated zucchini in the rice and browned diced zucchini folded through at the end. The result is creamy and gentle, with little golden pieces of zucchini still standing out.
Keep the stock hot and add it a ladle at a time. Once the butter and Parmesan go in, serve the risotto straight away while it is glossy and loose.
Practical cooking
Ingredients
3 servings
Ingredients
- 250 g Arborio rice
- peeled zucchini (2 small or 1 medium-to-large; dice one half and coarsely grate the rest)
- 1 pc red onion (finely diced)
- 1 pc garlic clove (finely chopped)
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 800 ml hot chicken stock (about 800 ml, made by dissolving 1 chicken stock cube in water)
- 100 g finely grated Parmesan
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (about 14 g)
- to taste freshly ground black pepper
- to taste salt (only if needed)
Nutrition per serving
- Energy
- 629 kcal2636 kJ
- Fat
- 23.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 9.6 g
- Carbohydrates
- 75.2 g
- Sugars
- 4.3 g
- Fibre
- 2.6 g
- Protein
- 20.0 g
- Salt
- 2.3 g
Calculated estimate. Actual values may vary depending on the ingredients used.
Cook flow
Instructions
Total: 37 min
- 1
Prepare the ingredients
Get everything ready
Keep the stock hot. Finely grate the Parmesan, finely dice the red onion and finely chop the garlic.
Divide the zucchini
Peel the zucchini. Cut one half into small dice for browning, then coarsely grate the remaining half for the risotto.
- 2
Cook the risotto
Brown the diced zucchini
Heat about half the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the diced zucchini until browned in places, then set it aside.
Build the rice base
In a wide pan, fry the red onion in the remaining oil. Add the garlic for a moment, then stir in the Arborio rice and toast it for 1–2 minutes.
Add the wine and grated zucchini
Pour in the dry white wine and let it reduce almost completely. Stir in the grated zucchini.
Cook with stock
Add the hot chicken stock gradually, stirring regularly and adding more when the previous ladle is mostly absorbed. Cook for about 20–22 minutes, until the rice is creamy and tender with a slight bite.
Finish and serve
Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the butter and Parmesan until the risotto is glossy and creamy, then season with black pepper and salt only if needed. Fold in the browned zucchini and serve immediately.
Refine
Tips and variations
Fresh basil and lemon at the end
For a more aromatic, fresher finish, stir in 1–2 tablespoons of roughly chopped fresh basil and finely grate the zest of half an unwaxed lemon after taking the risotto off the heat. Mint works in place of basil; use about 1 tablespoon, as its flavour is more assertive.
After cooking
Storage and serving
Knowledge graph