Name: Risotto alla Pizzaiola
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided; 1 shallot, finely chopped; 2 large garlic cloves, minced; 1 tsp salt, black pepper, dried basil, dried oregano; ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 300 g/10.5 oz risotto rice, Carnaroli or Arborio; 1 L/4 cups hot chicken broth, or vegetable; ¾ cup/180 ml puréed tomatoes; 250 g/9 oz cherry tomatoes, cut in half; 150 g/5.5 oz roasted bell peppers; ¼ cup/60 ml heavy cream; 30 g/1 oz grated Parmesan; 1 large mozzarella ball, chopped; 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves

Creamy risotto alla pizzaiola. A super delicious easy to make weeknight meal made with a garlicky tomato sauce. Loaded with mozzarella chunks, bright cherry tomatoes and hearty roasted peppers. Make sure to serve this flavor bomb with a big side salad or with some roasted chicken.

Traditionally, ‘pizzaiola’ is a sauce invented to use up leftover pizza sauce. In this recipe, we use it to bring our risotto to the next level. We follow the basic principles, and add puréed tomatoes, garlic, and oregano to the rice. We jazz it up with cherry tomatoes and roasted bell peppers, for that extra depth of flavor. And when finished, we top the risotto with mozzarella chunks (just like pizza) and let them slowly melt into our risotto.

The result is a delicious yet simple and effortless meal. Better yet, it’s easy enough to serve up on weeknights and impressive enough to share at your next dinner party.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step video.

RECIPE NOTES

risotto is very easy to cook, just make sure to stir frequently, this way you break down the rice and create that smooth, creamy sauce of a good risotto. And by adding a little cream in the last step, the risotto will be even more creamy
serve this risotto with a simple lettuce salad on the side or add some roasted chicken
swap the cherry tomatoes for sun-dried tomatoes. Or leave out the roasted peppers
any leftover risotto can easily be reheated, but because of the absorbent nature of rice it takes on a different, more dense texture the next day. Just add a splash of water and give it a good stir
risotto is most commonly made with Arborio or Carnaroli rice

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Recipe Video

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Yield: serves 4