Creamy vegan Tomato Risotto with Roasted Veg, bursting with flavour. An easy and healthy weeknight meal that is both plant-based and gluten-free.
Risottos are one of my favourite dinners. When made right, they are rich and creamy, but not too heavy or stodgy.
This Vegan Tomato & Roasted Vegetable Risotto is perhaps my favourite of all.
Risotto rice picks up flavours so well, so there is a lot of potential to make a seriously amazing-tasting dish when you've got the makings of one in your stock cupboard.
I've come across many tips on making risottos over the years, some people make it out to sound very complicated but I actually consider it a very easy dish (which is part of the reason it's one of my favourites).
But for me, I find that these three tips, below, help yield the creamiest result.
Vegan Risotto Making Tips
- Stirring regularly. You don't have to stand over the stove, stirring constantly but regular stirring will help the rice release it's starch.
- Adding the stock a cup at a time. Adding the stock in all in one go is simply just like boiling rice but we want a creamier result than that. So adding the stock in a bit at a time, waiting until each ladel-full has nearly been absorbed will help create that gluey texture.
- "Mantecatura" - Loosely translated as "enrichment" or to give something a buttery texture. This is achieved at the end of the recipe, when the rice is almost cooked and the liquid has very nearly been absorbed. Remove the rice from the heat and stir for a couple of minutes, adding an extra ingredients, such as dairy-free butter, oil, vegan cheese, nooch or fresh herbs.
Recipe Shortcuts
Admittedly, I know roasting the vegetables does add extra time and effort to this dish BUT I do think it's absolutely worth it, flavour-wise. If you're short on time (or feeling lazy) feel free to sauté the vegetables instead.
Speaking of lazy, you can also buy frozen roasted Mediterranean vegetables for when you're in a pinch. It's not as good as fresh but still very enjoyable and great for when you can't make it to the shops.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Tomato & Roasted Vegetable Risotto
A creamy Tomato & Roasted Veg Risotto that is bursting with flavour. Vegan, no dairy and naturally gluten-free too.
Ingredients
For the roasted vegetables
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 300 g / 10.5 oz cherry tomatoes
- 2 medium red bell peppers
- 1 large courgette / zucchini
- A generous pinch of salt and pepper
For the risotto
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 225 g / 8 oz risotto rice (Arborio)
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 250 g / 8.8 oz passata or chopped tomatoes
- 250 ml / 1 cup vegetable stock
- Approx 6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped into small chunks
- A small bunch of fresh basil, torn
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- (Optional) vegan parmesan or "nooch", to serve
Instructions
To roast the vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and add the olive oil to a roasting tin.
- Chop the vegetables into small chunks and spread out in the tin, adding the salt and pepper before giving everything a shake to coat.
- Roast for 30 minutes.
To make the risotto
- Meanwhile, add olive oil to a shallow casserole dish or large frying pan, on a low-medium heat.
- Sauté the onion for a few minutes before adding the minced garlic and cooking for another minute.
- Stir in the rice with the vinegar and stir for approx 30 seconds, to coat it in the oil.
- Pour in the passata and vegetable stock, ½ cup at a time, alternating between the two. Allow each amount to be absorbed by the rice before adding the next.
- After 20 minutes, add in the sundried tomatoes and the roasted vegetables. Give everything a stir and cook for a further 5 minutes until everything is cooked through and the rice is done. Don't be afraid to add more liquid or extra passata, as needed.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the basil, salt and pepper and vegan cheese (if using). Feel free to stir in any extra oil or dairy-free butter at this point for an extra creamy risotto.
- Serve right away and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size ¼ recipeAmount Per Serving Calories 357Total Fat 8.8gSaturated Fat 1.3gTrans Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 230mgCarbohydrates 62.3gFiber 4.8gSugar 10.6gProtein 9.2g
Nutritional information isn't always accurate. This data was calculated using Cronometer.
Sydney says
This was my first time making risotto, and I was very impressed! It was delicious and not hard to make at all. The only "issue" I ran into was that I couldn't find passata at the store (which was strange) so I used a lighter pasta red sauce. It took MUCH longer than 30 minutes to cook the rice (I believe due to the pasta sauce substitute) but with a few extra cups of veggie broth it eventually softened up and tasted DELICIOUS. I'm already excited to cook it again, but this time with the correct ingredients.
Aimee says
Thanks Sydney, I'm glad it worked out in the end! I sometimes use chopped tomatoes too, if I can't find passata.
Angie says
What is passata please and thank you?
Lucy says
It’s similar to tomato purée but thinner
Lynn Smith says
If you can't get passata you can blend a tin of chopped tomatoes or leave them whole bith work
Cerena C says
Hello! Making this now, but so far I'd had to add three times the Veggie stock the recipe calls for and twice the passata and the rice is still tasting crunchy - am I doing something wrong??
Aimee says
Try reducing the heat and cooking slower. The liquid might be evaporating too quickly. Risotto is best cooked low and slow, adding the liquid bit by bit :)
Lynn Smith says
If you can't get passata you can blend a tin of chopped tomatoes or leave them whole both work. Also put a lid on between stirring and you shouldn't need more stock
Suzanne says
I fancied risotto tonight but thought I'd have a change and googled 'risotto recipes using tinned tomatoes'. As it happened we had passata and although I had to tweak one or two things according to what was in the house it was a fab risotto. I will make this again!
Aimee says
So glad you liked it, Suzanne!
Helena says
Couldn't find arborio rice where I am so I substituted with sushi rice! Plenty tasty and cooked nicely in half an hour, but I used double the amount of stock.
Thanks for the recipe!
Jasmine says
This was the first risotto I have made in years - I've been really afraid of attempting it again! I have to say, this dish was absolutely delicious - thank you. The recipe is incredibly well-written and I appreciated the top tip about not having to stir continuously. Incredibly useful and saved me panicking.
I made the risotto last night and was so impressed, it was absolutely delicious and I can see this becoming a staple recipe in my monthly meal plan. As other commenters have noted, I also added slightly more stock and passata as the rice began to stick a little too much to the pan. It still turned out wonderfully and was not too distant in texture and flavour to risottos I have enjoyed in restaurants.
Thank you! I will be returning to try more of your recipes.
Aimee says
Wow, thank you so much for that great feedback! I am very pleased to hear you enjoyed it so much.