Blistered Tomato & Chicken Sausage Risotto
with Whipped Ricotta & Lemon
- Milk
You may want to refer to this recipe as, Risott-Oh! Italian chicken sausage creates a savory base for a deliciously creamy risotto, infused with cream cheese and herbs. But wait, there’s more! We add game-changing toppings of fluffy, lemon-kissed ricotta clouds, juicy, sweet charred tomato, and a shower of fresh parsley. Serve it up and wait for the oohing and aahing.
Ingredients
9 ounce
Italian Chicken Sausage Mix
1 unit
Onion
4 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
2 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1 unit
Lemon
4 ounce
Ricotta Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
¾ cup
Arborio Rice
1 unit
Tomato
¼ ounce
Parsley
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Olive Oil
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
3 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• In a medium pot, bring 5 cups water (8 cups for 4 servings) to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. • Wash and dry produce. • Halve, peel, and dice onion.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion; cook until slightly softened and lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Add sausage* and cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned, 3-4 minutes more. • Add rice, 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings), and a big pinch of salt (we used ½ tsp; 1 tsp for 4). Cook, stirring frequently, until rice is translucent, 1-2 minutes.
• Add 1 cup simmering water and stock concentrates to pan with rice mixture; stir until liquid has mostly absorbed. Repeat with remaining simmering water—adding ½ cup at a time and stirring until liquid has mostly absorbed—until rice is al dente, sausage is cooked through, and risotto is creamy, 25-30 minutes. TIP: Depending on the size of your pan, you may need a little more or a little less liquid for the risotto. If you prefer your risotto a little more al dente, cook for less time.
• Dice tomato. Roughly chop parsley. Zest and quarter lemon. • In a medium bowl, whisk ricotta with a squeeze of lemon juice (big squeeze for 4 servings), 1 TBSP olive oil (2 TBSP for 4), and a pinch of salt and pepper until light and fluffy. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt, and pepper if desired. • Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium pan over high heat. Add tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and season with salt and pepper.
• Once risotto is done, remove from heat and stir in cream cheese, half the parsley, 2 TBSP butter (4 TBSP for 4 servings), and lemon zest to taste. TIP: If risotto is too thick, stir in another splash of water. • Taste and season generously with salt and pepper.
• Divide risotto between plates. Top with whipped ricotta, blistered tomato, and remaining parsley. Season with pepper. Serve with any remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Chicken Sausage is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The lemon-whipped ricotta was a highlight for many, adding a bright, refreshing contrast to the rich, creamy risotto 🍋. Some found the dish overly heavy; the cream cheese in particular was flagged as making it too rich — consider using less or skipping it entirely.
- Ease of prep: Risotto demands constant stirring and attention for 25–30 minutes, which many found more hands-on than expected; finish all other prep before the rice goes in to make the process smoother.
- Suggestions: Add more tomato — one small tomato felt insufficient for the dish; cherry or sun-dried tomatoes were suggested as better alternatives. A few also recommended replacing the chicken sausage with a milder protein, or reducing the fennel-forward sausage seasoning.
- Leftovers: This reheats well with a splash of chicken broth to loosen it up, and at least one reviewer found it even better the next day.
- Portions: The 2-serving recipe made enough for 3–4 people, so plan accordingly if you're cooking for a crowd 🎉.
Reviews from our home cooks
This is a 2 1/2 star recipe. I only added 1 packet of flavor at start. After adding 3 cups of water I tasted the mixture and then added the second packet. This really helped the taste of the risotto as it was not salty as when I followed the instructions before. The ricotta mixture was not needed and took away from the risotto. It was like putting a pale cold creamy on top of hot pale creamy. Yuck. The tomato mix was a perfect compliment/contrast. The only thing I would change is to double it.
The flavors were good and the instructions were fantastic. First time I ever made risotto and it came out correctly. I would've liked more tomatoes.
Loved the taste! Just took a LOT of focused time, as risotto always does.
This was my favorite meal so far. The flavors were so good.
