Italian Sausage, Red Pepper and Mushroom Risotto

This risotto dish is one of the very first meals that I taught myself how to cook and it quickly became a favorite with my family. Yesterday was my mom’s birthday and I offered to make her dinner and told her to pick the menu and I’d make whatever she wanted. It took her all of about 30 seconds to decide that this risotto is what she wanted for dinner, and she chose Dark Chocolate Chip Scones for dessert. In addition to all of the creamy goodness that is risotto, this recipe includes Italian sausage, red pepper and mushrooms that add a tremendous hearty flavor. This should definitely be served as a main dish and goes great with Italian bread and a salad. Definitely plan on something light for dessert!

1 year ago: Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 years ago: Cornbread

Italian Sausage, Red Pepper and Mushroom Risotto

Yield: 4-6 servings

5 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces Italian sausage, casing removed (or you could use ground sausage)
¾ cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
4 ounces white button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups Arborio rice
¾ cup dry white wine
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

1. In a medium saucepan bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep warm over low heat.

2. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sausage and saute, crumbling, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and saute until tender, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute.

4. Add ½ cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 to 30 minutes total. Remove from the heat.

5. Stir in ¾ of the Parmesan. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the parsley and the remaining Parmesan. Serve immediately.

(Adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis)

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