Vegan Oven Risotto with roasted tomatoes is an easy hands-off risotto main dish. Roasted tomatoes brighten up the arborio rice recipe and you get to walk away while it bakes, instead of standing over the stovetop. An Italian comfort food dinner!
The best risotto is creamy plump rice that is served with a buttery base. Because of the rich liquid, a bowl is usually used so that you can get a bit of the rich stock in every bite.
This oven-baked rice takes the majority of the work out of traditional risotto without sacrificing any of the taste and texture.
Normally, risotto is made in about half an hour but you need to pay close attention to it by stirring and adding more liquid almost continually while the rice is cooking.
Now we are lucky because you can actually bake the rice and most of the liquid while adding just a bit more liquid after removing it from the oven.
The rice is fat and chewy and can be mixed with many vegetables and roasted tomatoes is one of them. There are only a few ingredients to add to this rich and special comfort food.
What Rice is Best for Oven Baked Risotto
- Arborio is the most commonly used rice for risotto because of it's starchiness and wonderful chewy texture.
- Carnaroli rice is also traditionally used but I have yet to find it in the grocery stores.
- You can use jasmine rice but you have to keep stirring and adding more stock to try to get as much starch out of the rice as you possibly can.
- I have also used short grain brown rice and it isn't quite as starchy and the rice has more of an al dente bite but it tastes really good.
As you can see with just those three sentences that arborio rice is best for a traditional risotto. Especially since this is a hands-off vegan oven risotto. You can let the rice do most of the work.
It all starts in the preparation and then you're on your way. Get everything ready first. Chop the onions prepare the tomatoes and roast them.
To prepare the tomatoes cut the Italian tomatoes in half and then scrape out the seeds as pictured in the photo below. If they have any green or yellow core then cut that out too.
Roast the tomatoes at 425º for 10 to 15 minutes. While the tomatoes are roasting you can measure out the next few ingredients.
How do you Make Vegan Oven Risotto
To start with it is important to have a large skillet with a lid that can go in the oven.
While the tomatoes are roasting heat the dairy free butter in the skillet and sauté the chopped onion for 10 minutes.
Add the arborio rice and toast for about 3 to 5 minutes. Some of it will start to turn to a light golden color.
By this time you the tomatoes have probably come out of the oven. Add them to the pan. Lower the oven heat to 400º.
Add the heated liquids to the pan and stir. Then cover, bring to a boil and slide in the oven. This only takes a minute but be very careful when moving from the stovetop to the oven.
The picture on the left is when you cover and slide it in the oven and the picture on the left os when you slide it out and uncover it.
Taste the risotto and see if it's done. It should be creamy but not mushy. Stir in 2 tablespoons dairy free butter and another ¼ to ½ cup hot broth and stir. Heat through and serve.
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Vegan Oven Risotto
Ingredients
- 3 cups 5 Roma tomatoes, I am guessing on the final measurement because your Romas may be a little different size than mine. Use 5 Romas.
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- 1 teaspoon dairy free butter
- ¼ cup onion - white onion, diced
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 2 cups vegetable stock, microwave on high power to about 150°F
- ¼ cup water, microwave on high power to about 150°F, or heat in a small saucepan
- 2 tablespoons dairy free butter
- ½ cup vegetable stock, this is a separate measurement from the vegetable stock above
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds. If the stem end is rough, cut it out also. Now chop the tomatoes.
- Place on an aluminum foil–covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 425º for 10 to 15 minutes, or until some of the edges are browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Turn down the oven to temperature to 375°F.
- While the tomatoes are roasting - In a LARGE, LIDDED OVERPROOF SKILLET, melt 1 teaspoon dairy-free butter over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, or until is translucent.
- Add the rice, ½ teaspoon of sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the roasted tomatoes and heated liquids. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil.
- Slide the covered pot into the oven without lifting the lid. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove from oven and stir in 2 tablespoons dairy free butter and ¼ to ½ cup vegetable broth. Stir and heat through and serve.
Nutrition
Ginny McMeans
Thank you 🙂 I'm fixing it right now.
Melissa
This is so delicious! We omit the extra butter and broth that you stir in at the end bc I think the consistanct is perfect without it. I have also subbed mushrooms in for the tomatoes and added vegan parm after it finished. Works perfect every time! Thank you vegan in the freezer for this super easy and tasty recipe!
Ginny McMeans
That is wonderful Melissa! Your occasional substitutes sound really good too.
Melissa
This is such an easy and yummy staple to our vegan dinners. I have made so many variations of it- mushroom risotto and stir the vegan parmesan in it at the end. Peas risotto. And the tomato one is so delicious as is. We love it, even my picky eater teen of the house.