Sausage and Pepper Risotto

This is a staple at our house. It is tried and true and enjoyed by all. It serves my family of 7 with enough leftovers for 1-2 lunches. While it takes a bit of time to make, you don't have to stir constantly while the liquid is being added, so you can load/unload the dishwasher or do other kitchen tasks while it cooks. It can also be made with frozen vegetables. I always freeze enough shredded zucchini from my garden to last a whole year. When I find bell peppers on sale, I stock up and slice and freeze them for later. When using frozen vegetables, the vegetable mixture will be a little watery. I simply drain the extra liquid into the small pot of simmering water/stock before I transfer the vegetables to the food processor. 

Ingredients:

• 32 oz. vegetable (or chicken) broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 3 small bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, or any combination), seeded and coarsely chopped
• 2 cups zucchini, sliced
• 8 oz. Italian sausage, browned and drained
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat broth and water over low heat. Let simmer.
2. In a large saucepan (I use a wok), heat half of the oil over medium heat. Add onion and peppers to pan, cook about 5 minutes, stirring. Stir in zucchini, garlic, and oregano. Cook 4 minutes.
3. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a food processor and pulse until finely diced. Set aside.
4. Add remaining olive oil to pan and heat briefly. Stir rice into the pan and cook 1-2 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Add warm broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon and waiting until liquid is absorbed before add another 1/2 cup. Continue this until rice is tender (you might have to add more water, or you might not use all of the heated liquid). This will take 20-30 minutes.
5. Once the rice is tender, stir in the sausage and the vegetable mixture and parmesan cheese. Cook to warm through and serve immediately.