Tomato Sausage Risotto

It’s day three of my totally self-indulgent birthday week!!

A few housekeeping details.

First, go sign up for the Kitchen Aid Mixer Giveaway. There are only a few days left!

Second, go sign up to win $250 in Amazon Cash. Because you know what? It’s my birthday tomorrow, I love my readers, and I know some pretty awesome bloggers.

Third, I would love if you would go read about spreading kindness in honor of our sweet Elliot.

Okay. Now let’s get down to business.

Tomato Sausage Risotto.

It’s not that I don’t love sweets, I do. But when it comes to comfort food, I want savory. Hands down, every time. I remember one time in college when I was having a particularly stressful week (I probably broke a nail or something, because honestly I can’t think of what could have gotten me stressed in college), and I went to the grocery store for some comfort food. I came home with a jar of pickles, a jar of green olives, a bunch of oranges, some tomatoes, Spicy V8 (which I drank by the gallon in college, and not even with vodka), and some Italian dressing (mmmmm . . . Viva Italian, if only the original was still on the shelves).

Tomato Sausage Risotto.

(Do you hear it, like a sweet whisper in your ear calling your name?)

Tomato Sausage Risotto.

This is hands down my favorite dinner. I love it. I could eat the ENTIRE dish by myself. It’s not hard to make, though it is a little time intensive. But I love it so much that there is a picture of me standing at the stove, stirring the risotto slowly with one hand, and holding a newborn Quinn in the other arm nursing her.

This is not a meal a mother of a newborn should be making. But I love it so much I went for it anyway.

I would eat this once a week every week, but I live with picky eaters who turn their noses at delightful things like tomatoes and spinach.

Fools.

Tomato Sausage Risotto  (There’s that whisper again!)

This is originally a Martha Stewart recipe. I’ve tweaked it a little bit (to cut some calories), but you will be equally happy with the original. This dish cooks so slowly, that the taste is really rich. If you cut out the dairy (like I did) you won’t miss it at all. Just remember that the key to risotto is long time over low heat, and add your liquid slowly. (Not poured in slowly, rather a little bit at a time slowly.)

Print Recipe

Tomato Sausage Risotto

Author: Lisa Longley

Ingredients

• 32 ounces crushed tomatos I like Glen Muir with the basil flavor
• 1 package of Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage I use Jennie-O
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine I use whatever is open in my fridge, sweet, dry, whatever
• 1 9 ounce bag of washed baby spinach
• parmesan cheese for serving optional

Instructions

• Pour tomatoes into a medium saucepan. Fill the can up with water and add it to the tomatoes. Set it to medium low heat and cover. Keep an eye on it. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat to low.
• While the tomatoes heat, spray a large deep skillet with cooking spray and put it over medium heat. Remove the sausage from their casings, and add it to the skillet. Cook it, breaking it apart, until it is no longer pink.
• Add the arborio rice, and cook for about a minute. Turn the heat to medium low, and add the wine. Stir and allow the arborio rice to soak up the wine.
• Once the wine is absorbed, add two cups of the tomato/water mixture. Stir and allow the rice to absorb it. Continue to add the liquid one cup at a time, waiting for it to absorb before adding more.
• Once the rice is creamy and tender, remove it from the heat. (You may not need all the liquid.) Stir in the spinach a little at a time, letting it wilt.
• Serve, topping with the parmesan cheese, or just sit by yourself and eat the entire pot.

Red Wine Risotto