Gordon Ramsay’s tomato risotto is silky, sweet and rich with mascarpone, made with cherry tomatoes cooked in butter, Arborio rice and Parmesan, ready in about 25 minutes. It’s the simplest risotto in his Cookery Course because there’s no wine, no shallots and no garlic in it at all.
That stripped-back approach is what makes it different from every copycat version online. Ramsay writes that “this classic risotto just needs a garnish of rocket or baby spinach,” which tells you how much he trusts the tomato and mascarpone to carry the dish on their own.
The technique that matters most is how he handles the tomatoes. They cook separately in butter for ten minutes until completely soft, then get passed through a sieve or mashed smooth. That gives you a concentrated sauce that coats every grain of rice, rather than chunky bits of tomato sitting on top.
Gordon Ramsay Tomato Risotto Recipe
Course: Dinners, RisottoCuisine: British, ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
starters5
minutes20
minutes340
kcal25
minutesThe simplest risotto in the Cookery Course: cherry tomatoes cooked in butter, sieved, then folded through creamy mascarpone and Parmesan rice. No wine, no shallots, no garlic. About £1.15 per person, and it doubles as a risotto cake the next day.
Ingredients
2-3 tbsp olive oil
200g Arborio rice
500ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
50g unsalted butter
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
100g mascarpone
25g Parmesan, grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful of rocket or baby spinach, to serve
Directions
- Toast the rice: Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the rice and stir well to coat the grains. No shallots, no garlic, just rice and oil.
- Ladle the stock: Bring the stock to a simmer. Add it one ladle at a time, stirring until each is absorbed before adding the next. Keep going for 15-18 minutes until the rice is al dente.
- Cook the tomatoes: While the rice cooks, heat the butter in a separate small pan. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook gently for 10 minutes until completely soft. Pass through a sieve or mash with a potato masher until smooth.
- Finish: Fold the mascarpone, Parmesan and tomato mixture into the rice all at once. Season and serve straight away with a handful of rocket or baby spinach on top.
FAQs
Why is there no wine, shallots or garlic in this risotto?
Most tomato risotto recipes online add all three, but Ramsay’s Cookery Course version deliberately leaves them out. The cherry tomatoes cooked in butter provide all the acidity that wine normally handles, and without garlic or shallots competing, the tomato and mascarpone flavour comes through clean and pure.
It’s one of those recipes where what you leave out matters more than what you put in.
Why cook the tomatoes in butter instead of roasting them?
Butter rounds out the natural acidity of cherry tomatoes in a way oil doesn’t. Roasting concentrates flavour but also caramelises the sugars, which takes them in a different direction.
Ramsay’s method is gentler: ten minutes in butter until completely soft, then sieved smooth. You end up with a rich, sweet tomato sauce that blends into the mascarpone without any sharp edges. Think of it as a warm tomato butter rather than a pasta sauce.
How do I turn leftover risotto into a risotto cake?
This is a bonus recipe straight from the Cookery Course. Cook the risotto slightly beyond al dente (about 20 minutes instead of 15-18). Fold in the mascarpone, Parmesan and tomato, then spread the mixture in a square tin lined with greaseproof paper.
Cover and chill for 2-4 hours until firm. Cut into squares and pan-fry in 50g butter for 3 minutes each side until golden. Ramsay says to take care when you flip them. A a rocket salad with shaved Parmesan with shaved Parmesan alongside is all you need.
How much does tomato risotto cost per serving?
About £4.65 for four starter portions, so roughly £1.15 per person. Tesco Cherry Tomatoes cost £1.00 for 300g, mascarpone is about £1.50, and the rice, butter, Parmesan and stock fill the rest.
That makes this the cheapest risotto on the entire site, which is why it works so well as a starter before something like a rack of lamb.
Can I use tinned tomatoes instead of fresh cherry tomatoes?
You can, but the flavour is different. Tinned tomatoes are more acidic and less sweet, so you might need a pinch of sugar to balance them. Cherry tomatoes cooked in butter have a natural sweetness that tinned ones can’t match.
If you do use tinned, drain them well first and cook them the same way in butter until they break down completely.
Does tomato risotto store well?
Better than seafood risottos because there’s no protein to go chewy. The rice firms up in the fridge but the mascarpone keeps it from drying out completely. Keeps two days.
The real move though is turning it into risotto cakes instead of reheating it. The leftovers are almost better than the original when they’re pan-fried in butter until golden and crispy outside. His roast duck salad makes a good pairing if you want something sharp to cut through the richness. If you want to explore more of his risottos, I’ve tested all 15 from his cookbooks ranked by cost.
