Italian Sausage Red Pepper Risotto

Look at me I'm on a roll, two posts in two days! Actually I figured while I'm in the mood I'd get a few of them typed up. This is from another favorite food blogger of mine called browneyedbaker.com. She has some really good desserts and meals and is always listed as one of the top food blogs. This one in particular was listed as one of her top 10 and it really was super yummy. If you've never done risotto before don't be afraid to try it. It takes a little extra time, but it's actually super easy. The sausage is what really gives this good flavor. She used mushrooms in hers, but I totally forgot to get some at the store so I did mine without and it was still good.

5 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces Italian sausage, casing removed
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 or chicken broth
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.