sausage, tomato and spinach risotto.
Ah, risotto. Rice, olive oil, wine, cheese…really, how could you go wrong?
I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Smitten Kitchen, where author Deb finds amazing recipes and takes beautiful photos from her 42 square foot kitchen in New York City. Really I’m just green with envy…living and cooking and eating in one of the most amazing cities in the world.
Part of what is great about this recipe, besides all the flavor, is that it’s got a little something for everyone. But you have to be patient…it needs a little nurturing for about 25 minutes on the stove to let the flavors get to know each other.
And did I mention the 7 cups of spinach? No need to make a side salad…it’s got all the food groups in one bowl!
I mentioned the cheese, right?
So your hard work of stirring will finally pay off and you’ll have this glorious, beautiful dish to razzle-dazzle your friends and family.
Sausage, Tomato and Spinach Risotto
(serves 4-6)
What You’ll Need:
1 can diced tomatoes in juice ($.99 at $.99 per can)
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil ($.08 at $.08/tablespoon)
3/4 pound italian sausage, casings removed ($2.24 at $2.99/lb for chicken sausage at sprouts)
1 small onion, diced ($.33 at $.99/lb)
sea salt and pepper
1 cup arborio rice ($.84 at $2.29/box at tjs)
1/2 cup dry white wine ($.33 at $1.99/bottle at tjs)
1 bunch spinach, chopped, about 7 cups ($.99/bunch)
1 tablespoon butter ($.09 at $.09/tablespoon)
1/2 cup grated asiago cheese ($.62 at $4.99/lb)
Instructions
In a saucepan combine tomatoes with 4 cups water. Bring to a simmer and keep over low heat.
Separately, in a medium saucepan, saute sausage and onion in oil over medium heat. Add salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, about 3-5 minutes.
Add rice, stirring until each grain is well coated, about 1-2 minutes. Add wine and cook until absorbed, about 1 minute.
Add about 2 cups tomato water mixture to the rice and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, about 4-5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture one cup at a time, waiting for each cup to be absorbed before adding the next. Stir occasionally until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, butter and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately and sprinkle with extra cheese if desired.
TOTAL: $6.51 or $1.63 per serving…even less if you have leftovers. Add that’s it!
Nutrition (based on 4 servings):
402 calories per serving
13 grams of fat
43 carbs
17 grams protein
3 grams fiber
Risotto is one of my favorite foods! I’ve never tried it with sausage and spinach though. Great idea.
You are so lovely, so talented & so inspiring! I’m so glad to have this how to online! Now I just need you to fill in how you do EVERYTHING else & still find time to make such scrumptious meals. Can’t wait to try this one.
You’re too kind. But I’m not the one with the dog…now THAT’s busy (especially with chocolate-loving Milly!).
Hope you enjoy as much as we did!
K
In Jamie Oliver’s Italy book (I’m a big Jamie fan) he says, “I met a few young mothers on my travels around Italy, and what was interesting was that even though a lot of British people would consider a risotto an event in cooking terms, these young mums cook them because they’re so damn simple and take only 20 minutes to make. Risotto is considered fast food, because while it’s slowly simmering you only need to give it a quick stir every couple of minutes, meaning that you can get on with other small jobs at the same time. In other words, you don’t have to be chained to the stove while it’s cooking.”
Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a country where risotto is considered fast food? That said, thanks for the inspiration. I was at a loss for dinner ideas this week and risotto sounds so good right now, even at 9am.
Ah Italy, I’m daydreaming a little now…
home of the slow food movement. That’s my kind of movement.
Let me know what you think!
K
Kelly – have you ever tried using dry vermouth instead of dry white wine? I started using it years ago in Italian dishes (e.g., Chicken Piccata, and other dishes more like this one you posted) based on a recommendation from Cooks Illustrated magazine, and find it’s one more way to save money, since vermouth will keep for a long time in the cupboard. And it actually tastes really good.
This recipe you posted looks really yummy – probably will try it this week.
Thanks for the great recipes – keep ‘em coming!
Delicious risotto! I love this recipe!
This was amazing last night for dinner! Wow, so delicious! Thank you!
I can hardly wait to make this! I’m a fan of all the ingredients and it doesn’t seem complicated. Since I still have some swiss chard in my NW PA garden, I hope to make that substitution for the spinach…unless frost comes before I get it made! LOVE your blog!! ~Shelly
Thanks Shelly! I would absolutely try swiss chard…could be a great substitute! Thanks for the feedback.
K
My sis-in-law made this Saturday for our family dinner. The aromas were so delightful when we arrived we could hardly wait to dig in. She used spicy Italian sausage. YUM! Even the kids gobbled it up!
LOVE that the risotto turned out to impress even the kiddos!
K
kelly i’m making this for supper swap this week! it’s making me hungry right now. any good wine pairing ideas? if it’s under $5 i’ll send a bottle to each family too. ideas?
hooray for supper swap! so fun that you’ll bring wine too! I’d go for a Spiral Wines Cab or Green Barn Red Field Blend (it’s organic too!) or Tres Pinos Three Pines Cuvee (all $4.99 at TJs).
i made the risotto for supper swap too and it was quite a hit! you can add the spinach at the very end (heat off) and let them swirl in the butter and cheese while they reheat OR just do it all ahead of time and let them reheat it all (the first would be the tastiest but either way, so good). so excited you’re making this.
that looks delicious! I love risotto, love, love, love it, but have yet to convince my family…this could be the way. I’m off to try
Thanks Sara! This is a favorite of ours…I might eat it once a week if I wasn’t trying to find and create new recipes