Sausage and Spring Pea Risotto
with Lemon and Parmesan
- Milk
Spring has officially sprung! And with it, we find ourselves coming out of casserole-and-stew-laden hibernation and craving food that’s simple, bright, and—of course—delicious. This dish fits the bill perfectly. Creamy and luxurious, risotto is our favorite way to highlight springy flavors. This version has pops of green peas, bites of crispy pork sausage, and is finished with a squeeze of lemon juice. It’s as balanced as it is satisfying, making it pretty much impossible to put down your fork.
Ingredients
9 ounce
Italian Pork Sausage
1 unit
Shallot
1 unit
Lemon
¾ cup
Arborio Rice
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
6 ounce
Peas
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon
Olive Oil
3 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Remove sausage from casings; discard casings. 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, 5-7 minutes. Turn off heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate, keeping as much oil in the pan as possible.
Meanwhile, wash and dry all produce. Halve, peel, and mince shallot. Zest and quarter lemon (quarter both lemons for 4 servings). Combine 4 cups water (7 cups for 4) and stock concentrate in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so mixture is at a low simmer.
Heat pan with reserved oil over medium heat. Add 1 TBSP butter, shallot, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, 2-3 minutes.
Add ½ cup stock and rice to pan. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring, until liquid has mostly absorbed. Continue adding warm stock ½ cup at a time, stirring after each addition and letting liquid absorb before adding more. Continue until rice is al dente and creamy, 25-30 minutes.
Once risotto has finished cooking, stir in sausage, peas, half the Parmesan, 2 TBSP butter, and a squeeze of lemon juice (to taste). Season generously with salt and pepper.
Divide risotto between bowls. Top with lemon zest and remaining Parmesan. Serve with any remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many loved the creamy risotto with pops of peas and sausage, brightened by lemon zest 🍋.
- Ease of prep: Risotto takes time and constant stirring, but most found the clear instructions made it manageable.
- Suggestions: Consider adding extra Parmesan, garlic, or herbs for more flavor; some preferred chicken over sausage.
- Portions: Generous servings often provided leftovers; a few found it too heavy as a main dish.
Reviews from our home cooks
This dish was REALLY delicious and different. I loved the lemony kick with the sausage and peas. Again, the portion size was much larger than I assumed it would be. Took a little while to make because of "watching" the risotto and putting the stock in a little at a time, but nothing too crazy. Would highly recommend -- especially if you are tired of the same old things all the time. This is different and tasty!
I've never made risotto before and was a little intimidated going in. But it was easier than I thought, and I really like the balance of the creaminess, the chicken sausage, and lemon w the peas. Yummy!
Took a lot of stove time--I know risotto takes this kind of time but it seems as if some of the time could be shaved off by doing some of the rice cooking WHILE the sausage was cooking. Also, there wasn't anywhere near enough cheese, and I don't think the lemon worked in this recipe.
Really nice risotto, loved how the peas and lemon added summer freshness. I enjoyed the sausage as well, but just thought there was way too much of it. My husband who is a sausage lover agreed - we want the risotto to be the star!
I've never tried risotto and I think this was an excellent introduction to the cooking methods involved. Texture and ingredients were great. Personally I think it was lacking a little flavor and could use one or two more seasonings garlic and onion powder. The recipe seems to rely heavily on the seasoning in the sausage itself which only goes so far. I also think grated Parmesan rather than shredded would work better. Over all though, very yummy dish! Kept well the next day too!
Loved this recipe! It does take work with the risotto but that is fine with me. I left out the lemon and added white wine with the water as it was cooking. I also doubled the peas!
We love risotto and this is no different. It's creamy and lemony and the sausage accompanies it well
Risotto takes a lot of TLC. It's true. But worth the wait. We enjoyed this with a side of rolls we added to our order and a shot of Limoncello to complement the lemon from the meal.
Love this recipe. Risotto may seem scary, but it's really not and the flavor is delicious. The lemon really brightens everything up!
I'd never made risotto before even though I cook a lot, so this was really fun. I added a drizzle of balsamic reduction before serving and definitely recommend adding that to the official recipe. Also, it would be great to have this as a hot sausage version.
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