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Italian Sausage Risotto

March 10, 2011 By Kate 2 Comments

I fell in love with risotto when I made it a few months ago. We’ve had that one particular side dish several times since then. But each time I made it, I kept thinking that I really wanted to make it into a main dish. I toyed with several different ideas until I settled on this one.

Italian Sausage Risotto just made sense to me on so many levels. First of all, we love Italian sausage. Secondly, the classic flavors of a meat or marinara sauce also go over big every single time they hit our table. So, toss all those things together and this is what I ended up with. It was a winner! The creaminess of the rice blended with the sweet-spicy flavors of the sausage and sauce perfectly.

Italian Sausage Risotto

  • 1 lb. Italian sausage, bulk or links with the casings removed
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced
  • 2 c. rice (I just used a medium grain)
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 3 – 4 c. chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 t. Italian seasoning

1. Combine sausage, onions, peppers, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes in a large skillet. Stir and cook over medium-high heat until sausage is no longer pink and onions are tender. Stir in green onions and rice.

2. Slowly pour in tomatoes, tomato sauce and 3 c. chicken stock. Stir in seasonings. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat and slowly simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

If needed, slowly stir in the remaining cook of chicken stock while cooking. Remove bay leaf before serving. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Homemade Chicken Rice-A-Roni

February 14, 2011 By Kate 16 Comments

I used to love Rice-A-Roni. I remember eating a lot as a kid and always being excited to see it on the table. Then when I started cooking for my own family, I relied on those boxes of rice fairly frequently. Once my husband and I made the decision to start eating from scratch 95% of the time, I mourned the loss of my beloved San Francisco treat. (I’m not the only one who remembers those commercials, am I?)

I’m not sure why I didn’t think to make it from scratch sooner. It’s SO easy and SO good! It tastes exactly like the boxed Rice-A-Roni I loved, except for one thing – it’s better. It tastes fresher with more flavor and less salt. It’s cheaper too. Oh, and one other thing – it can be assembled ahead of time and bagged up to store in your pantry. Whenever you get the desire for a quick rice side dish, grab a bag and your all set. How great is that?

Homemade Chicken Rice-A-Roni

  • 1/4 lb. spaghetti, angel hair or vermicelli pasta
  • 1 c. rice
  • 3 chicken bullion cubes, crushed or 3 t. chicken stock base
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1/4 t. Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 t. paprika
  • 4 T. butter
  • 2 c. water

Break noodles into small pieces.

Combine with rice; set aside until using. In a small bowl, chicken bullion cubes or stock base. Stir in salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and paprika until combined. Set aside until using.

+ 15 minutes simmer time  Melt butter in a large skillet. Stir in broken noodles and rice. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently over medium heat, until pasta is lightly browned.

Stir in seasoning mixture and water. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

If you’re a 100% from-scratch eater instead of a 95% from-scratch eater, you could definitely use chicken stock in place of the bullion cubes or stock base and water.

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Mushroom Risotto

January 10, 2011 By Kate 3 Comments

Risotto is one of those dishes that I’ve always been a little too intimidated to attempt. I was under the impression that it required constant baby-sitting and that it could get ruined in an instant. But after spending weeks addicted to watching Hell’s Kitchen with my husband during our at-home date nights, I just couldn’t put it off any longer. (If you’ve never seen the show, risotto is a dish that the competing chefs prepare nightly for the patrons of Hell’s Kitchen restaurant.)

I read several different recipes and techniques to come up with own (easier) method. I always broke a cardinal risotto rule in my rice selection. I opted to just use a basic medium-grain white rice as opposed to a more expensive arborio rice. I knew it was a risky choice, but I thought it would be worth it if I was successful.

And I’m glad to say that I was successful. I was thrilled with how easy it was to make the risotto and with how delicious the finished dish tasted. Even with the basic, non-traditional rice, I still achieved the creamy, traditional risotto texture. The rice cooked up so full of flavor too. I will definitely be making this again and again. I’m already dreaming about all the variations I can make!

Although this dish was very easy to make, it does require more hands-on time then a traditional rice dish. That makes it not very stolen moments friendly, but since it only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, that’s okay with me!

Mushroom Risotto

  • 1 small onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 lb. baby portobello (crimini) mushrooms
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 2 T. butter
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/4 t. pepper
  • 2 c. medium-grain rice
  • 5 c. beef stock
  • Additional salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Dice onion and mince garlic. Place in a baggie or bowl and refrigerate until using. Slice mushrooms and place in a separate container; refrigerate until using.

+ 20 – 25 minutes cooking time  Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 3 minutes. Stir in rice and continue cooking for another 3 minutes. Season with 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper.

Slowly pour in beef stock while constantly stirring. Reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking for 20-25 minutes, until creamy and rice is tender, stirring well at least every 3-5 minutes.

Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

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