Ingredients
- 1 jar of Pirro’s Marinara Sauce
- 4 cups (1 quart) low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound uncooked sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil or parsley leaves for garnish
How to Make Sausage Risotto
- Heat the oil in a large, high-sided sauté pan. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook, breaking up any large pieces and stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan.
- Add the rice and stir until every grain is coated with the residual oil in the pan. Continue stirring the rice until the edges have turned translucent but the center is still opaque, about 2 minutes. You should also be able to smell the aroma of toasted rice.
- Add enough broth to cover the rice. Allow the rice to absorb the broth before adding more. Remember to only add enough broth to cover the rice and stir frequently. This process will be completed until the rice is cooked to the point where it will not absorb any more broth. Begin tasting the rice after about 12 minutes to gauge how far it has cooked. The risotto is ready when the rice is al dente (when it still has a bit of chew) and the dish has the consistency of thick porridge, about 20 to 30 minutes total (you might not use up all of the broth). If you run your spatula through the risotto, the risotto should flow slowly to fill in the space.
- Heat 1 jar of Pirro’s Marinara Sauce in a small pan until hot.
- Remove the rice pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan and butter until melted into the risotto. Stir in the sausage, heated Pirro’s Marinara sauce, and fresh basil or parsley. Serve immediately, garnishing each bowl with additional grated Parmesan.
