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First Courses

Vegan Lemon-Scented Zucchini Risotto

Vegan Lemon-Scented Zucchini Risotto is a light and delicate first course, enhanced by the use of nutritional yeast. Let's see the recipe!
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Vegan Lemon-Scented Zucchini Risotto
  • Difficulty Easy
  • Prep 30 minutes
  • Servings Serves 3

This Vegan Lemon-Scented Zucchini Risotto is a Quick Main Course with delicate flavors, perfect for a light family dinner but also suitable for special occasions or when entertaining guests, thanks to its elegant harmony of flavors.

Prepared with simple, plant-based ingredients, this Vegan Risotto definitely earns its place among Healthy Recipes that are nutrient-rich, low in fat, yet truly flavorful. A distinctive feature of this Zucchini and Lemon Risotto is the use of Nutritional Yeast (available in health food stores or online), a dietary supplement and food seasoning with an intense, slightly tangy flavor that adds depth and taste to the recipe.

Finally creamed with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and grated vegan cheese (available in most supermarkets in the plant-based section), this Creamy Vegan Risotto will win you over from the first bite, releasing the citrusy notes of lemon zest that refresh the flavor of this simple and quick Plant-Based Recipe.

If you’re looking for other tasty Vegan Recipes, we have some delicious main courses that are perfect for you: Vegan Lasagna, Homemade Vegan Ravioli, Vegan Carbonara, Rigatoni with Soy Meat Sauce, and Sardinian Gnocchetti with Vegetable Pesto.

Now, let’s gather our ingredients and tie our aprons: today we’re going to enjoy a creamy Vegan Lemon-Scented Zucchini Risotto together!

Ingredients

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Instructions

  1. To prepare the Vegan Zucchini Risotto with Lemon Aroma, start by finely chopping the carrot and onion, then cut the zucchini separating the green outer part from the white seeded core. In a saucepan, prepare a soffritto (Italian aromatic base) with carrots, onion, and the diced zucchini core, adding a few tablespoons of water to let it simmer over low heat.

  2. When the vegetables are soft, blend them with an immersion blender and set aside. Then dice the green part of the zucchini into small cubes and set aside as well. In a saucepan, toast the rice with a drizzle of olive oil for a few moments, then add the blended vegetables and cover with hot water.

  3. Season with salt and continue adding hot water until the rice is cooked. 5 minutes before turning off the heat, add the diced zucchini and grated lemon zest.

  4. Turn off the heat, stir in a drizzle of olive oil and finally add the nutritional yeast and grated vegan cheese. Serve your Vegan Zucchini Risotto with Lemon Aroma piping hot!

Alternatives

If you don’t have nutritional yeast, you can substitute it with vegetable stock powder or bouillon to enhance the risotto’s flavor. The vegan grated cheese can be replaced with vegan mozzarella-style cheese (often made from rice or nuts) for a stringy texture, or other vegan cheese alternatives, perhaps smoked varieties, to add extra depth to this light and delicate risotto.

Tips

To achieve an even creamier risotto, avoid using a wooden spoon for stirring. Instead, use a hand whisk: this technique will help incorporate more air into the rice starches, resulting in a velvety and creamy dish.

Storage

This Vegan Zucchini Risotto with Lemon Aroma should be served immediately when ready. If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. These leftovers can be repurposed into other dishes like arancini (rice balls) or rice cakes.