Zucchini Risotto

Ahhh the end of summer is here and if you have a garden, you know what that means: so much zucchini. Like so, SO much. And if you don’t have a garden, just know that all the farms right now are BURSTING with zucchini, so you can get it for super cheap, and it will be at its peak level of nourishing, sweet and delicious. So with all that in mind, I knew what it was time for: Zucchini Risotto.

This risotto is designed to use up 2 pounds of zucchini (you heard me right!) and maximize all its vegetable-y goodness before its peak season ends. Like all good risottos, it relies on very few ingredients to make it delicious. I use some olive oil, onion, white wine and ricotta to make this risotto sing, but if you are looking for a plant-based option, any kind of cashew cheese OR even silken tofu is a great sub.

The risotto itself turns into something very reminiscent of Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup (but in a good way!), but to cut that richness I add a few handfuls of basil. They add to the flavor, while brightening the risotto’s profile. And while this recipe isn’t meant for people who love heat, you could add some Calabrian chili oil to it at the end and it would be amazing.

Basically, if you have a lot of zucchini, it’s time to make this recipe.

Ingredients you will need for this zucchini risotto

What I like about many (read: nearly all) risottos is that they are BORN to be minimal on ingredients. In fact, adding too many might mess them up! It would make them less classic, in my opinion. Which is why you will rarely see garlic thrown into my risottos!

This zucchini risotto follows suit, using very minimal ingredients and letting the zucchini be the star. Here is what you will need for the recipe:

• 4 large zucchini, 2 pounds / 900 grams
• 1 large yellow onion, 8 ounces / 220 grams
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound Arborio rice (see FAQ for substitutes)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta, 8 ounces / 220 grams
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup packed basil leaves, 1 ounce/ 30 grams
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan, for serving, 2 ounces / 60 grams
• Lemon zest, for serving
• Calabrian chili oil, optional, for serving

Step 1: Prepare your mise en place

Risotto is an action-filled cooking process, and you need to give your stove your attention. For recipes like these I like to make sure my mise-en-place is done ahead of time.

For this recipe, you’ll want to grate the zucchini as finely as possible (see reference photo above). Grate it into a bowl, and be sure not to drain it. Its moisture is good for this recipe!

Along with the zucchini, you will want to finely dice one yellow onion. The finer the dice, the better, since we want the onion to cook down to where it is nearly transluescent.

From there you can measure out everything else if you’d like, but I find it’s not really necessary!

Step 2: Cook down the onion and the Arborio rice

Step 2 is where we get cooking!

Prepare a large pot filled with ten cups of water and place it on a burner. On the burner next to it, place a sauté pan that can hold 10 cups (2.5 liters) of volume. That’s where you’ll be making the risotto.

Set the sauté pan over medium heat and add 1/2 cup of olive oil. Let this heat up for a few minutes and then add the diced onion. Cook, stirring often, letting the onion soften but not take on any color. This will take around 8-10 minutes. At the end of that time, add 1/2 cup of water and let it come to a simmer. As the water cooks off, you’re allowing the onion to cook down and get melty, which will help it seamlessly melt into the arborio rice.

Now that the onion is cooked, add the arborio rice and stir it in quickly to coat it in the oil. This step is imperative to make sure it cooks correctly. What’s happening here is the outside of the rice is toasting in oil, giving it a bit of a shield so that when the risotto process begins, the inside of the rice and the outside of the rice will cook at an even pace.

You can add the wine when the outside of the arborio rice is clear and the inside still looks opaque, around 4-5 minutes. When you shake the rice around the pan, it should sound “clattery.”

Add the wine and let it reduce. The rice will absorb it in about 3-4 minutes, and then it’s time to start the risotto process!

Step 3: Cook the zucchini risotto

Now it is time to start the risotto cooking process! It’s a repeatable process, the one big thing to note is: never stop stirring.

Every 3-4 minutes or so, you will want to add about 1/2 cup of grated zucchini and a 2/3 cup pour of water from the simmer pot. Stir this into the rice to agitate the starches (this is what makes risotto thick), and then when the rice has thickened and absorbed the liquid, repeat the step again. You’ll do this for about 6-8 rounds, cooking for about 20-30 minutes, stirring nearly constantly. (Note that you will use up nearly almost all 10 cups of water in the pot.)

The zucchini’s moisture is also an asset here, since it lends liquid to the risotto, and the rice fully absorbs the zucchini’s flavor!

When the rice looks fully opaque and the risotto starts to look thick and creamy, around the 20-minute mark, you can begin testing the rice. I recommend taking a bite (make sure it’s cool!), if the rice is still tough, it will need a few more rounds. If the rice is a pleasant, slightly al dente texture, it’s time to add your last splash of water and move onto the cheese.

Step 4: Finish with cheese and basil

When the risotto starts to look and taste done, reduce the heat under the risotto to low. Turn the heat off of the pot of water completely.

Stir the 1 cup of ricotta cheese into the risotto. It will thicken, so if you have any water from the pot, feel free to add a splash or two.

Taste and season with salt and pepper as preferred. Tear in the basil and stir.

Turn off the heat under the sauté pan, and now you’re nearly ready to serve! All it needs are the garnishes, which I’ve listed in the recipe box below (and are totally optional, by the way).

FAQ

Looking for similar recipes?

I love this style of food, so I do have a few on the blog! Here are my favorite risotto variations:

And that’s it for this Zucchini Risotto!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3

Watch the recipe here

The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.