This creamy Zucchini Risotto comes together in just 30 minutes, it's simple, flavorful, and it's a great way to add veggies into your diet! It reheats well, so it's great for meal prep as well. You can serve it on its own or with a side of protein like roasted chicken or salmon!
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Why You'll Love This Zucchini Risotto
Flavorful and creamy - You'd never guess how much zucchini you can pack into this risotto without really changing the flavor! It's such a great way to use all that summer produce and get some extra veggies in! This risotto is the perfect comforting meal when you're craving something filling that's still also light and fresh, like other summer dishes.
Easier than you might think - While a risotto might sound intimidating because it requires constant attention, it's very simple and easy. It has just a few simple ingredients and takes just 30 minutes to make!
Great for meal prep - This dish stores and reheats really well, so it's great for meal prep! Once you reheat it, it's just as creamy as when it was freshly made!
Ingredients
- Arborio rice - To make an extra creamy risotto, you need Arborio rice. It's a type of short-grain rice, different from basmati or jasmine rice, but it's not as sticky as sushi rice. It's a classic for any risotto, and I highly recommend using it. It should be easy to find in most larger grocery stores. You could also use vialone nano or carnaroli rice, but they're harder to find.
- Yellow onion and garlic - This is where a lot of the flavor comes from. I highly recommend fresh garlic, but garlic powder will work in a pinch.
- Avocado oil - I like using pure avocado oil for most of my cooking because it has a neutral taste and a high smoke point, but you can use any cooking oil you have. Ghee or unsalted butter would also work great.
- Dry white wine - The alcohol from the wine gets cooked off completely, but the flavor remains and makes this risotto really delicious. You don't have to use your best, most expensive wine for this, any white wine will work.
- Italian seasoning - I used my homemade Italian Seasoning, but store-bought works just as well! I like using a spice mix because it has a lot of different herbs, but you can also just add oregano and thyme if you don't have it.
- Vegetable broth - I'm using vegetable broth to keep the risotto vegetarian and because I find it works the best with zucchini, but you can use chicken or beef broth as well if you prefer. Keep in mind that this will change the flavor of the risotto.
- Zucchini - I like small-medium zucchini because they're easy to grate on a box grater and they tend to be more hearty and dense. I find those very large zucchinis can be mushier and often more bitter, but really, any zucchini you have works!
- Parmesan cheese - You can use either Parmesan or pecorino. I often have pecorino on hand because I like its saltier flavor and the fact that it's made with sheep cheese. Keep in mind that both Parmesan and Pecorino are made with animal rennet. Make sure to read the labels if you need the risotto to be vegetarian.
- Lemon - Freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest add freshness and lots of flavor.
- Parsley - You can add finely chopped fresh herbs at the end of cooking to add more color, flavor, and freshness. My favorites are either parsley or chives here but fresh thyme or basil would be delicious as well.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make it vegan - It's so easy to make this dish vegan! Cook the onion and rice with either cooking oil or vegan butter, and use vegan parmesan instead of regular. You can also use nutritional yeast instead.
- Add protein - While this risotto is delicious and filling on its own, you can serve it with roasted chicken, salmon, shrimp, steak, or any other protein.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Pour the vegetable broth into a medium pot, bring it to a simmer, and turn the heat down to low. It doesn’t need to boil, but it needs to be hot for when you ladle it into the risotto later. If it's cold, it will stop the risotto from cooking.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add avocado oil and finely chopped yellow onion.
- Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until glossy and slightly caramelized.
- Add minced garlic and cook for another 30-60 seconds just until fragrant.
- Add rice and stir well. Toast for 30-60 seconds.
- Slowly pour in the white wine and allow it to evaporate while stirring constantly.
- Add 2 ladles of the hot vegetable broth and stir to make sure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.
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- Season with sea salt and Italian seasoning. Stir again.
- Keep adding more broth as the rice soaks up what’s in the pan, and keep stirring constantly until you have about 1 cup of broth left. This should take 15 minutes. Do this over medium-low heat to prevent the rice from burning.
- Add grated zucchini and stir to incorporate.
- Continue cooking the risotto for another 5 minutes, adding the remaining broth as needed. Keep stirring often.
- Stir in parmesan cheese, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, finely chopped parsley, and black pepper.
- Add more sea salt if needed and take the pan off the heat.
- Serve the risotto with lemon wedges, more Parmesan, and some extra black pepper. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks!
- Prepare everything ahead of time - Once you start cooking the risotto, everything moves very quickly, and it's important to have time to stir. The constant stirring and only adding a little bit of liquid at a time is what releases the starches from the rice and creates a creamy consistency. If you stop to grate your zucchini, the rice could burn.
- Always use hot broth or stock - You want the risotto to be constantly cooking, and when you add cold broth to it, it stops, and you will have to bring it back to a simmer every time you add more.
Storing and Reheating
Fridge: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-4 days.
Freezer: You can technically also freeze the risotto in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months, but the texture won't be the same after defrosting. The zucchini will be very mushy, and the rice and parmesan may be more grainy.
Reheating: If your risotto is frozen, defrost it in the fridge overnight first. To reheat it, transfer it to a small saucepan and add a splash of water. Reheat it over medium heat, stirring often and adding more water as needed, until it starts to gently simmer, and it's warmed through.
FAQs
Make sure you use arborio rice only. The rice shouldn't be washed prior to cooking because it removes the starches. You need to add hot broth in small increments and keep stirring, this is what makes it creamy. Make sure your broth isn't cold.
If you added too much broth, the risotto might be too runny. Just let it sit for 5-10 minutes on the stove, or keep cooking, and it will absorb it. If it's tough and dense, you need more broth.
Other Risotto Recipes
If you have leftover arborio rice in your pantry and want to try other variations, check out the 3 recipes below! I also added a bonus orzo one because it looks like rice, and it's made in one pan, just like this risotto! To see all the latest dinner recipes, head over to Main Course Recipes.
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Have you tried this Zucchini Risotto? Please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
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Print📖 Recipe
Zucchini Risotto
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3-4
- Category: Risotto
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Zucchini Risotto comes together in just 30 minutes, it's simple, flavorful, and so creamy! It reheats well, so it's great for meal prep as well. Serve it on its own or with a side of protein like roasted chicken or salmon!
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups vegetable broth (I often use 4 cups low-sodium broth and 2 cups water)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other cooking oil)
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cup arborio rice
- ½ cup dry white wine (or more vegetable broth)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups lightly packed grated zucchini (1-2 zucchinis)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (or pecorino)
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Pour the vegetable broth into a medium pot, bring it to a simmer, and turn the heat down to low. It doesn’t need to boil, but it needs to be hot for when you ladle it into the risotto later.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add avocado oil and finely chopped yellow onion.
- Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until glossy and slightly caramelized.
- Add minced garlic and cook for another 30-60 seconds just until fragrant.
- Add rice and stir well. Toast for 30-60 seconds.
- Slowly pour in the white wine and allow it to evaporate while stirring constantly.
- Add 2 ladles of the hot vegetable broth and stir to make sure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Season with sea salt and Italian seasoning. Stir again.
- Keep adding more broth as the rice soaks up what’s in the pan, and keep stirring constantly until you have about 1 cup of broth left. This will take 15 minutes.
- Add grated zucchini and stir to incorporate.
- Continue cooking the risotto for another 5 minutes, adding the remaining broth as needed. Keep stirring often.
- Stir in parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, finely chopped parsley, and black pepper. Add more sea salt if needed and take the pan off the heat.
- Serve the risotto with a lemon wedge, more parmesan, and some extra black pepper. Enjoy!
Notes
Success tips: This recipe requires your constant attention once you start cooking the rice so make sure you have all the ingredients prepared ahead of time to make things easier. The rice needs to be stirred often because you’re only adding small amounts of broth each time so it could easily stick to the pan and burn. The rice should be fully cooked after 20 minutes but I recommend tasting it and adding more broth or water if necessary.
Storing: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can also freeze the risotto but it might change texture after defrosting, so I don’t usually do it.
Reheating: To reheat it, add it to a non-stick pan or a small pot with a splash of water and warm up over medium heat until warmed through.
The nutritional information is only an estimate. The sodium will greatly depend on how much salt your vegetable broth has.
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Veronika Sykorova says
This risotto is creamy, light, and so simple! It's a great way to sneak in extra veggies and you can serve it on its own or with protein.