Sun-dried Tomato & Sausage Risotto

My 6 year old declared this the best meal ever and gave it a rank of 100 on a 0-10 scale. I'm NOT a huge fan of microwave cooking, but in a time crunch it works. I'm sure you could cook the rice and onion the traditional way.

Adapted from the Spring/Summer 2009 version of Pampered Chef's Season's Best Recipe Collection

1/2 cup EVOO-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup Arborio rice (check the Italian/Ethnic section of your grocery)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 oz grated fresh romano cheese (about 1/2 cup)
2 links sweet Italian sausage
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Additional grated fresh Parmesan cheese and finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)



Drain tomatoes using small Colander. Slice tomatoes; set aside. Finely chop onion. Combine onion, pressed garlic, rice and oil in glass casserole dish; spread mixture evenly over bottom. Cover with Parchment Paper and microwave on HIGH 2-4 minutes or until onion is translucent, stirring every 2 minutes. Stir in broth; microwave 9-10 minutes or until broth begins to simmer. Stir in tomatoes; microwave 7-9 minutes or just until rice is tender and mixture is creamy.


Meanwhile, grate cheese and set aside. Remove casings from sausage. Cut sausage in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/2-in. (1-cm) nuggets. Place into (10-inch skillet; cook over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Remove from heat and drain.


Carefully remove dish from microwave. Stir in cooked sausage, cheese and parsley, if desired. Serve risotto with additional grated fresh Parmesan cheese and parsley, if desired.



Yield: 4 servings


Per serving: Calories 490, Total Fat 27 g, Saturated Fat 9 g, Cholesterol 55 mg, Carbohydrate 46 g, Protein 20 g, Sodium 1210 mg, Fiber 1 g