The Eggplant Parmesan Risotto is a tasty first course easy to prepare, perfect for lunch and dinner. Inspired by eggplant parmesan, one of the most representative dishes of Italian cuisine in summer, it is a recipe prepared in a few minutes with a few seasonal ingredients and alternates the creaminess of tomato risotto with the crunchiness of fried eggplants and the meltiness of buffalo mozzarella. In short, a real delight to prepare for every meal!
The recipe is very simple: first, we prepare the risotto in the classic way, first toasting it, deglazing with some white wine, and then cooking it for about 8 minutes with vegetable broth. We add the tomato puree and continue cooking until it is al dente. We cream it with butter and grated Parmesan off the heat. Separately, we fry the eggplant cut into cubes and cut the buffalo mozzarella into cubes. Then we serve the risotto on individual plates with fried eggplants, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil.
In less than 30 minutes we will bring to the table a mouth-watering, creamy, and enveloping risotto, covered with crispy eggplants and soft mozzarella. Excellent both hot and warm, just like the basil and stracchino risotto or the tomato and burrata risotto, it is ideal for lunch and dinner with family or friends. In fact, it is so tasty and easy to prepare that we can make it for all the occasions we want, especially when eggplants are in full season! All you have to do is get all the ingredients to try it as soon as possible.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
Ingredients for preparing Eggplant Parmesan Risotto
- 1 1/2 cups Vialone Nano rice
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 eggplant
- 1 buffalo mozzarella
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 3 tbsps butter
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- basil
- sunflower oil
- salt
Tools for preparing Eggplant Parmesan Risotto
- 1 Pan
- 1 Pot
- 2 Stove
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Wooden Spoon
Steps for preparing Eggplant Parmesan Risotto
Prepare the Eggplant Parmesan Risotto by first washing the eggplant, removing the ends, and cutting them into cubes. Fry them in hot sunflower oil for a few minutes or until they are nicely golden. Drain them and let them dry on a tray lined with paper towels. Salt them.
Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large saucepan and toast the rice. Douse with white wine and when it has evaporated, add a ladle of hot broth. Continue cooking the risotto by gradually adding a ladle of hot vegetable broth whenever the rice has absorbed all the broth. Stir frequently with a spoon and let it cook for about 8 minutes. Add the tomato puree and adjust the salt. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until the rice is well cooked but still al dente.
Turn off the heat, add the rest of the butter and the grated Parmesan and mix well.
Distribute the risotto on individual plates. Top with a spoonful of fried eggplants and some cubes of buffalo mozzarella. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Simo and Cicci recommend
You can store the risotto without eggplants and mozzarella for a couple of days in the fridge. We recommend preparing the fried eggplants fresh to maintain their crunchiness. Also, we recommend using fresh daily mozzarella and well-drained.
You can substitute buffalo mozzarella with fior di latte or lactose-free mozzarella in case of intolerance. In this case, you can replace butter with oil.
If you prefer to avoid frying, you can bake the eggplant cubes or air fry them for about 25-30 minutes at 356°F, drizzling them with a little extra virgin olive oil. For cooking times, adjust according to your appliance as they may vary.
