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Creamy zucchini risotto garnished with fresh parsley and lemon wedges in a low bowl with a beige rim and with a fork.

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5 from 1 review

Zucchini Risotto

Recipe by Veronika Sykorova

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!

  • Total Time35 minutes
  • Yield3-4 1x
  • DietGluten Free

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 5-6 cups vegetable broth (I often use 4 cups low-sodium broth and 2 cups water)
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil (or other cooking oil)
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cup arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine (or more vegetable broth)
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 cups lightly packed grated zucchini (1-2 zucchinis)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or pecorino)
  • 1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1-2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add avocado oil and finely chopped yellow onion.
  3. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until glossy and slightly caramelized.
  4. Add minced garlic and cook for another 30-60 seconds just until fragrant.
  5. Add rice and stir well. Toast for 30-60 seconds.
  6. Slowly pour in the white wine and allow it to evaporate while stirring constantly.
  7. Add 2 ladles of the hot vegetable broth and stir to make sure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  8. Season with sea salt and Italian seasoning. Stir again.
  9. 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.
  10. Add grated zucchini and stir to incorporate.
  11. Continue cooking the risotto for another 5 minutes, adding the remaining broth as needed. Keep stirring often.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Category: Risotto
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

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Find it online: https://thehealthfulideas.com/zucchini-risotto/