People often wonder what to do with leftover risotto. I’ll write a post in the future outlining all of my ideas for leftover risotto. This one is too good to wait. I love to stuff vegetables with rice, beans, pasta, etc. I had the idea to create a fun, appetizer that uses leftover rice in an unconventional way. My experiment resulted in what I’m calling Italian Sushi.
I started with vegetables that I could slice into long strips. I opted for eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash. I sliced them thin, brushed them with a little bit of olive oil, and roasted them slowly in the oven at a fairly low heat. Then I rolled them up with leftover risotto.
I garnished them in fun ways, and arranged them on a serving plate.
The result was delicious, and looked very pretty on the plate.
Try my Italian Sushi next time you have a dinner party. It’s a perfect size for an appetizer, and it looks very impressive.

Italian Sushi
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- 1 zucchini
- 1 yellow squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp parmesan or romano cheese
- 2 fresh mozzarella balls sliced
- 1/2 cup risotto
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- Slice eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash lengthwise into 1/8-inch strips.
- Brush both sides lightly with olive oil. Arrange on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt.
- Bake in oven for about 30 minutes, until vegetables are softened and cooked through, careful not to brown or caramelize.
- Remove from oven, and allow to cool slightly so that you can handle them.
- Sprinkle the zucchini and squash slices with grated parmesan or romano cheese. Place a spoonful of risotto in the center of each slice, and roll up.
- Place mozzarella slices on eggplant slices, add a big spoonful of risotto in the center, and roll up.
- Arrange sushi on a serving plate. Garnish each in various ways. Watch the video to see how I garnished each piece of sushi in different ways.
Video
Notes
- Eggplant Sushi: wrapped with carrot slivers.
- Zucchini Sushi: topped with half of a cherry tomato
- Squash Sushi: topped with cooked shrimp