Sausage Risotto Recipe: How to Make Italian Sausage Risotto

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 5 cups chicken stock
• ½ tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil
• ⅓ cup finely chopped shallots
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 garlic clove)
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• ½ cup dry white wine, room temperature
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Chopped parsley (for garnish)
• Half a lemon (optional)

1. 1

   Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Using a small, sharp knife, cut open the sausage casing. Add the sausage meat to the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until the meat turns golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan and set it aside. Reserve the sausage fat.

2. 2

   In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring broth to a low boil, then reduce heat to low, keeping the broth just below a simmer. You want the broth to be about the same temperature as the rice while it’s cooking.

3. 3

   In the same sauté pan you used to cook the sausage, heat the butter and the reserved sausage fat over medium-low, then add the shallots. Sauté the shallots until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir continuously until fragrant, about 30–60 seconds. Add rice to the shallot-garlic mixture, season with salt, and stir to combine. Continue stirring until the rice is well coated and starting to become translucent, 2–5 minutes.

4. 4

   Add about ½ cup warm broth and a splash of wine to the rice mixture. Stir often until the rice has fully absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth in ½-cup increments, following each addition with a splash of wine and allowing the rice to absorb liquid between additions, until the rice is al dente, about 25–35 minutes. (You may not need all of the liquid.)

5. 5

   Remove the pan from the stove and add ½ cup cheese, sausage, and pepper, stirring to combine. Cover and allow to rest 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley and a spritz with lemon, if using. Serve with additional cheese.

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