Tasty Tomato and Courgette Risotto

A delicious recipe using classic Italian flavours, perfect for any time of the year.

These recipes are designed for you to cook together as a family. The best bits for children to help with are shown in blue, and little hands can always help with measuring ingredients and washing up!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons oil (1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons approx.)
• 2 courgettes, cut in half lengthways and into small slices
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 3 garlic gloves, finely chopped or minced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 500ml hot water, or about 2 mugs
• 2 vegetable stock cubes or 1 tablespoon vegetable powder
• 200g risotto rice, or about 1 mug
• 1/2 bunch fresh basil, stalks removed and chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried basil)
• 1 tablespoon crème fraiche or dairy free equivalent
• 50g cheese, grated

Serves 4. Approximate cost per adult serving: 71p

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6.
2. Put the chopped courgette into an ovenproof dish, drizzle with oil and mix so that the courgettes are coated. Put into the oven to roast for about 30
   minutes. Add the tomatoes into the tray to roast for the final 15 minutes.
3. Peel the onion and garlic and finely chop. Prepare 500ml of hot water.
4. Add a tablespoon of oil to a frying pan and fry the onion over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for 2 more minutes.
5. Tip the dry rice into the frying pan and stir well so the rice is coated in the onion and garlic mixture.
6. Add about 100ml of water and allow the rice to absorb it fully before repeating until all the water has been added and rice is starting to soften.
7. Add the chopped tomatoes to the rice mixture and continue to cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. If the rice still has too much ‘bite’ at this point, add more water as before and continue to cook until soft.
8. If preparing for babies under 1, remove a small portion and set aside now. Crumble over 2 stock cubes and season the rice mixture with a pinch of salt and pepper and stir thoroughly.
9. Carefully remove the courgettes and tomatoes from the oven and mix in with the rice dish. Remove from the heat and add a tablespoon of crème fraiche. Mix well until the sauce is creamy (you can leave this out if you would prefer).
10. Add the fresh chopped basil and stir through, before topping with grated cheese.

Equipment

• Sharp knife
• Chopping board
• Frying pan
• Oven dish
• Grater

Modify Me

• Make sure the cherry tomatoes are squashed down for little ones and the courgette is cut into small pieces to minimise the risk of choking.
• You can freeze leftover fresh herbs for use another time. Put a generous pinch into each section of an ice cube tray, add water until the herbs are just covered and freeze. You can add these straight into recipes later!
• Try to only cook the rice you need – if you do have leftovers, cool rice down as quickly as possible and store in the fridge within an hour. It must be eaten the next day and make sure it is steaming hot all the way through.
• Try adding prawns at stage 7 – make sure they are heated through before serving.

Foodie Fact

Did you know tomatoes are a fruit? They are a great source of antioxidants which can help to protect our bodies from environmental stressors such as pollution.

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