Pork Sausage & Tomato Risotto
with Lemony Zucchini Ribbons
- Milk
Risotto is the Italian way of doing rice. So it’s of course going to be loaded up with plenty of hearty ingredients, like sausage, tomato, and fragrant Tuscan herbs. But what you might not expect is a breath of fresh vibrant veg on top: a heap of thinly-shaved lemony zucchini is added on for contrast and crispness. Between the warm hearty grains and flavorful accents, there’s no doubt that this one is the complete package.
Ingredients
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
1 unit
Onion
1 unit
Zucchini
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
1 unit
Lemon
¾ cup
Arborio Rice
1 unit
Tomato
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
9 ounce
Italian Pork Sausage
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Remove sausage from casing; discard casing. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Turn off heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate, keeping as much oil in pan as possible.
While sausage cooks, wash and dry all produce. Halve onion; peel and thinly slice one half (save remaining half for another use; for 4 servings, slice whole onion). Dice tomato.
Heat pan used for sausage over medium heat. Add 1 TBSP butter, sliced onion, ½ tsp sugar (1 tsp for 4 servings), and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until onion is softened, 5-7 minutes. Add rice and Tuscan Heat Spice. Cook, stirring, until grains are translucent, 1-2 minutes. Stir in tomato and ½ cup water, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan.
Meanwhile, measure 4 cups hot water (7 cups for 4 servings). Add stock concentrate and ½ cup hot water to pan with rice mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until liquid has mostly absorbed. Repeat with remaining water—adding ½ cup at a time and stirring until liquid has mostly absorbed—until rice is al dente and mixture is creamy, 25-30 minutes. TIP: You might not use all of the water.
While risotto cooks, trim ends from zucchini. Using a peeler, shave zucchini lengthwise into ribbons, rotating as you go, until you get to the seedy core; discard core. Zest and quarter lemon. Add a big squeeze of lemon juice to a medium bowl. Toss in zucchini ribbons, a drizzle of olive oil, and lemon zest to taste. Season with salt and pepper.
Once risotto is done, stir in sausage, Parmesan, and 2 TBSP butter (3 TBSP for 4 servings). Season with salt (we used ½ tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp for 4) and pepper. Divide risotto between bowls or plates. Top with zucchini ribbons or serve on the side, along with remaining lemon wedges.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many found it delicious, with some describing it as a "tastebud party." A few expected more seasoning in the risotto itself.
- Ease of prep: Several noted it was time-consuming to prepare, with lots of stirring required for the risotto.
- Suggestions: Consider dicing and sautéing the zucchini instead of making ribbons for a quicker prep. Try adding extra seasoning to boost the risotto's flavor.
- Leftovers: Some found the cold zucchini odd when reheating; consider warming it separately or incorporating it into the risotto.
