It snowed in the Philadelphia region this past weekend and it was icy, gray, and cold. Saturday was the kind of day where you didn’t want to go outside but stay curled up on the couch with a warm bowl of something and a cozy blanket. I wanted something a little more stick-to-your-ribs and comforting than soup so I decided to make Sausage and Spinach Risotto.
This risotto is made with arborio rice, mushrooms, spinach, and sausage and cooked slowly until creamy and dreamy. (I used Thin ‘N Trim’s Spinach & Red Onion Chicken Sausage but I bet sweet turkey or pork sausage would be good here too.) I messed up making this and left the mushrooms in the pan the whole time (the recipe says to cook them, set them aside, and add in at the end) but it turned out fine. I love the salty addition of the cheese at the end too so don’t leave that off or you might need to add in some salt. As I’ve mentioned before, I love risotto and don’t mind that it takes time and patience to make. It was exactly what I wanted while the sleet fell against my windows and I stayed nice and warm inside.
The ingredients:
Bring broth and water to a simmer in a small pan and keep on low heat. Add oil to another pan and cook mushrooms and salt over medium-high heat until browned (about 8 minutes). Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.
Add sausage until browned. Then add shallots and garlic, cooking 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat to medium and add rice, cooking for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Stir in wine, and cook until liquid is nearly absorbed. (Ahh, fragrant!) Stir in 1 cup of broth mixture and cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly. Continue adding remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until each portion of broth mixture is completely absorbed. Stir constantly.
Once all of the broth has been absorbed, remove the pan from the heat and add mushrooms and spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.
Serve topped with cheese.
Additions: None
Omissions: None
Substitutions:
- Pre-cooked chicken sausage for sweet sausage
- Shaved parmesan cheese for Romano cheese
Overall Rating: Like It
Source: Cooking Light Magazine
A Fork In Each Hand 
OMG! this looks great!
I can’t wait to try this. You just add teh Risotto in the mixture dry (don’t boil first)? Can I use Italian Sausage?
You add the risotto in dry and cook for just a minute before you start adding the liquid. You have to add the liquid a little bit at a time and let it absorb completely before adding in more liquid. Takes a little bit of time but worth it!
So glad you posted this 🙂 I actually have the rice but have never made risotto before, I’ll admit it intimidates me a little ever since I saw Wolfgang call out that chick on Top Chef last season 😀 and she said she makes it all the time!
I have been putting it off but this recipe inspires me. It looks and sounds delicious!!
I’ll let you know when and how it goes 🙂
Cheers!!!
Risotto used to intimidate me too but it’s actually simple! The key is to be patient and keep the temp around medium. Let me know how yours turns out!