A deliciously moreish Creamy Tomato Risotto topped with crispy garlic breadcrumbs - made with mainly store cupboard ingredients. It's tender and creamy, with a slightly tomato-ey tang and just the right amount of sauciness to make it utterly moreish!
Can you only make a risotto using stock?
Nope!
This sauce base for this Creamy Tomato Risotto (my new favourite btw) is mostly made up of tinned tomatoes.
Every bite of that tender rice is infused with rich tomato-iness, all finished off at the end with cream, parmesan and black pepper.
And then of course we're topping it off with crispy garlic crumbs - because you know how much I love my toppings (hello recipes with a million toppings such as my Spicy Parsnip and Sweet Potato Soup, upgraded Avocado and Eggs on Toast and Veggie Mexican Tortilla Pan).
What do we need?
How to make Tomato Risotto with Crispy Garlic Crumbs
- First make your tomato based stock. Place a tin of chopped tomatoes in a large jug with vegetable stock and tomato puree. Stir and heat through (in the microwave or in a pan) until hot.
- Soften a chopped onion and garlic in a pan with a little oil, then the rice and wine.
- Wait for the wine to almost fully absorb, then add the tomato stock a ladle at a time. Stir it regularly and ensure each ladle has almost fully absorbed before adding the next.
- Finish the risotto with cream, parmesan (or a vegetarian hard cheese alternative), lemon juice and salt & pepper.
- Whilst the risotto is cooking, melt some butter in a small frying pan with salt and garlic, then add in panko breadcrumbs and brown, stirring often. Turn off the heat and stir in parsley, lemon zest and parmesan (or a vegetarian hard cheese alternative).
Top the risotto with the breadcrumbs to serve.
Do you cover risotto while cooking?
For this recipe you don't need to cover the risotto whilst cooking.
Can I make it in the oven instead?
Yes, preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
Start the risotto in an oven-proof pan on the hob/stovetop. Add all of the stock in at once, then stir and place a tight fitting lid on top. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and stir in the cream, cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper before serving.
The addition of the crunchy crumbs on top are so addictive, you may find yourself eating spoonfuls of the stuff before it even gets to the risotto. I find they also add a bit of variety so each mouthful is a little different.
One of the things that used to stop me from ordering risotto in restaurants is that each forkful is the same - generally making them dishes of delicious monotonousness.
I still feel the same way when I go to restaurants, but now - greedy person that I am - I order a side of juicy prawns or something if I think it's going to be too lite on the toppings.
If you love toppings too, then the crispy crumbs are great, but you can also change it up with different toppings each time - such as mozzarella, fresh basil, jalepenos, fried chorizo, shredded chicken and roasted veggies.
Coming back to the breadcrumbs. You can use either panko, or you can make your own. Every so often I find I've gone over the top with the bread buying, and I have a pile of slightly stale bread. Rather than throw it away (or make a giant bread and butter pudding cake) this is the perfect time to get your food processor or grater out. Just grate it all up, crusts and all. Bag the crumbs up into little freezer bags and stick them in the freezer.
This means they're waiting for you whenever you want to make this meal, or maybe fish burgers and skinny fries or spaghetti and meatballs. So long as they're pretty dry when you make the breadcrumbs, you probably won't need to defrost them either.
What do you serve risotto with?
You can serve this as a main dish by itself, or you could serve it as a side dish with salmon or chicken - such as this Tuscan Chicken (or my veggie Tuscan Mushrooms).
More Risotto Recipes:
- Spring Vegetable Risotto with Creamy Pesto
- Turkey (or Chicken) Mushroom and Pancetta Risotto
- I made a delicious Beetroot Risotto with garlicky greens in this post
- Herby Lemon Risotto with Halloumi
Then if you have any leftovers make these Crispy Tomato Arancini balls
The Recipe Video:
Creamy Tomato Risotto with Crispy Garlic Crumbs
Ingredients
Risotto:
- 400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
- 240 ml (1 cup) vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp tomato puree - paste for US
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion - peeled and finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic - peeled and minced
- 150 g (¾ cup) Arborio rice
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) white wine - optional, replace with stock if you'd prefer
- 3 tbsp double (heavy) cream
- 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese - or vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese if you want it vegetarian
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- good pinch salt and black pepper
Crispy Garlic Crumbs:
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¼ tsp Maldon salt - or just a good pinch of normal salt
- 2 cloves garlic - peeled and minced
- 4 tbsp (30 g) panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp chopped parsley
- zest of half a lemon
- 3 tbsp (20g) parmesan - or vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese if you want it vegetarian
INSTRUCTIONS
- First, make your tomato-based stock. Place the tin of chopped tomatoes into a large jug. Add in the vegetable stock and tomato puree and stir. Heat this stock in a small pan or in the microwave until almost boiling, then turn off the heat.400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes, 240 ml (1 cup) vegetable stock, 2 tbsp tomato puree
- Heat oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to go translucent, add in the garlic, stir and cook for a further minute.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 1 small onion
- Add in the rice and stir until the oil has coated the rice. Add in the wine and stir.150 g (¾ cup) Arborio rice, 80 ml (⅓ cup) white wine
- Wait for the wine to almost fully absorb (stirring regularly) and then add the tomato stock a ladle at a time, ensuring each ladle has almost fully absorbed before adding the next. Ensure you stir regularly.
- After about 15-20 minutes you should have used up all of the stock. Have a taste of the rice. It should be softer, but still have a bit of a bite to it (it will soften up further when you add the cream). If the rice is still too hard, you can add in a ladle or so of water. Turn the heat down to very low.
- Next, make your crispy garlic crumbs. Heat the butter in a small frying pan until it starts to foam slightly.1 tbsp butter
- Add the salt and the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.¼ tsp Maldon salt, 2 cloves garlic
- Add in the breadcrumbs and stir to ensure the butter covers all of the breadcrumbs. Allow to cook until the breadcrumbs start to brown a little, stirring often. Keep a close eye on them as they burn very easily. When ready, turn off the heat and add in the parsley, lemon zest, and parmesan.4 tbsp (30 g) panko breadcrumbs, 1 tsp chopped parsley, zest of half a lemon, 3 tbsp (20g) parmesan
- Now go back to your risotto. Add in the cream, parmesan, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Give everything a good stir, whilst on the heat, and then serve topped with the crispy breadcrumbs.3 tbsp double (heavy) cream, 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, good pinch salt and black pepper
Video
✎ Notes
Can I make it ahead?
Risotto does taste best when serving right away, however you can make it ahead if you like.Make the risotto, then cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat in a pan over a low heat. Add in a good splash of stock to loosen it up when reheating. The garlic crumbs can be made ahead too. Once cooked, then cool, cover and refrigerate. You can bring them to room temperature before sprinkling on top of the risotto, or you can reheat them for 30 seconds or so in a hot pan.
Can I freeze it?
I prefer risotto made and eaten right away, but you can freeze it if you have leftovers.Quickly cool, then cover and freeze any leftovers (keeping the risotto and crispy crumbs separate). Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat the risotto in a pan over a low heat. Add in a good splash of stock to loosen it up when reheating. The garlic crumbs can be defrosted in the refrigerator, then reheat them for 30 seconds or so in a hot pan to crisp them back up again before sprinkling on top of the risotto.
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes, use gluten free stock and make sure your tomato puree/paste is gluten free (it often is, but it's best to check).Make breadcrumbs from gluten free bread by grating or whizzing them up in a food processor (or use gluten free panko).
Can I make it vegetarian?
Yes, simply replace the parmesan with vegetarian parmesan (or vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese). Nutritional information is per serving.Nutrition
This post was first published in September 2014. Updated in March 2020 with new photos, tips and recipe video.
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BudBel says
Hi Nicky,
Thank you so much for posting this delicious recipe! I'm literally stuffing my face with the results as I type.
I doubled the ingredients so I would have lots of leftovers. I'm so glad I did!
Thanks Again!
Kath says
What a gorgeous risotto recipe, love the intense tomato flavour.
Anita says
We have made this twice now, each time coming out perfect, although we make ours in our instant pot. We blended the tomato 'stock' in our blender, then tipped it into our instant pot, fried the onions with garlic powder (we had no fresh) then tipped that into the pot, added the rice, and put it on high pressure for 15 mins.
We gave it a 10 minute natural release then quick released. Gave it a good stir (perfect risotto so far.. rice is cooked perfectly)
Then we followed your last step in your instructions, then served.
My daughter has Dyspraxia so food tastes different to her, she is notoriously difficult to please. but she adored this meal! we have needed to double the recipe in our last batch so we could freeze some for her. (we upped the cooking time by 2 minutes, came out perfect)
This meal tastes amazing and will be is now on our menu rotation.
ami@naivecookcooks says
This looks so so flavorful!!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Ami, it really is. Definitely my favourite risotto recipe now!
HostessAtHeart says
I have never made Risotto. It looks like the perfect dish for a cool fall day.
Nicky Corbishley says
Hope you give it a go Julie, it's a great risotto 🙂
spiceinthecity says
This risotto looks incredible and I love the addition of garlic crumbs, such a wonderful idea 🙂
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks, glad you like it 🙂 I love the crumbs - a great addition instead of having meat as an added extra.
chefjulianna says
OMG!! This is a stunning risotto recipe! Thanks so much for bringing this to FF! 😀
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Julianna, glad you like it 🙂 Happy FF!
Loretta says
Beautiful, and oh so yummy!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Loretta 🙂
Sue says
Why have we never seen this before . . . EVERY risotto should have these crumbs! I couldn't agree more about the monotony issue . . . absolutely original and delicious !!!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Sue, ha ha, I'm gonna agree with you on the crumbs 🙂
lapetitepaniere says
Looks beautiful Nicki and the color is amazing 🙂 Happy Fiesta Friday 🙂
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Linda, happy FF!
Andrea Giang | Cooking with a Wallflower says
Oh my gosh! I love how this risotto looks. I have never had tomato risotto before and this really makes me want to try it! I'll be sure to give myself a big helping of this at Fiesta Friday! Thanks for sharing!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Andrea, glad you like it 🙂 Happy FF!
Jess says
Outstanding pictures,the colors just pop so well. Happy FF 🙂
Nicky Corbishley says
Woo hoo, my husband takes a lot of the pictures, but I took this one, so doing a little happy dance right now 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Risottos are always a challenge to perfect so I definitely will be trying your recipe. It looks incredibly perfect and delicious!
Nicky Corbishley says
Hope you like it Thalia, let me know how you get on 🙂
Ahu Shahrabani says
Looks great - the weather is turning here in NYC and making me crave creamy-hearty-comforting things - probably perfect time to try a risotto! 🙂
Nicky Corbishley says
Absolutely. Plus I guess this still has a hint of summer with the lemon zest and tomatoes 😉
thebrookcook says
Sounds- and looks- AMAZING!!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks 🙂
Josette@thebrookcook says
I made this fabulous dish & finally posted a pressure cooker version with a link to your post- Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!
https://thebrookcook.wordpress.com/2015/06/30/creamy-tomato-risotto-with-crispy-garlic-crumbs/
Nicky Corbishley says
Love the pressure cooker version Josette! Thanks for looping back and letting me know how it went 🙂