Tomato & Sausage Risotto

Risotto for me is hit or miss...I mean, it is the food that everyone gets sent home with on Top Chef.  But, in starting this blog, I said I was going to try new things.  There you go- risotto made it on the menu!  Thanks to Emily Bites for the recipe.  


We even had people over for dinner for this culinary test.  I was nervous while cooking, but was so excited when the risotto came out perfectly, and my guests loved the meal- YAY!

Tomato and Sausage Risotto

Ingredients
1 (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes (I normally buy the cans with basil and oregano
3 cups water
¾ lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed (I used sausage from Sausagecraft- it's amazing! And removing the casings is not as gross or as hard as I thought it was)
1 onion, chopped
salt & pepper, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine (I used whatever was leftover, so my wine was sweet)
1 bag fresh spinach, chopped 
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs light butter


Directions
Simmer canned tomatoes (with juice) and water in a saucepan. Turn heat to low to keep the mixture warm.


In a large pot, combine the sausage, onion, and add salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, breaking the sausage up until meat is brown and onions have softened. Add the rice and stir to coat the rice and combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then add wine. Stir until wine is absorbed (1-2 minutes).

Add two cups of the tomato mixture to the rice and stir. Turn the heat down to a simmer (medium-low heat) and cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Keep doing this (with one cup of the tomato mixture instead of two) over and over again until the tomato mixture is gone. 

Rice will be tender and creamy. Add the chopped spinach and stir in until combined. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted and combined.

Remove risotto from heat and add the butter and cheese. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Serve and enjoy.


Serves 6, 8 points a serving