Robert's Favorite Dinner

Robert & I have a pretty standard Sunday morning routine. We get up early, move to the couch with coffee (me) & soda (him), watch old episodes of Law & Order, & discuss what we're going to going to eat for dinner that week. I make a grocery list on my iPhone and later in the day, around 3 PM, we go shopping and then come home and make a nice dinner for Sunday night. 

A few months ago, on a typical Sunday morning, Robert suggested making rice with veggies and sausage for dinner that evening, but I remembered this risotto recipe I'd made in the past and offered to make it. That first night I honestly wasn't convinced that he loved the dish, but a week or so later he asked if we could have it again. And then a couple of weeks later, he asked again. And now? Now we probably eat it every other week. And believe me when I say, I'm not complaining. This stuff is delicious and all you really need to serve alongside it is some crusty bread. And as cheesy and house-wifey as it may sound, I love being able to make something my guy loves. See below for the recipe!

Ingredients:
-1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-3/4 lb. sweet or hot Italian sausage w/casings removed
-1 small onion, diced
-1 cup Arborio rice
-1/2 cup dry white wine
-1-2 handfuls of spinach, chopped
-1/2 grated Parmesan cheese
-2 tablespoons butter
-salt & pepper

Directions:
-Combine the diced tomatoes (juices and all) with three cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and let bubble away.
-In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the sausage and diced onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the sausage is opaque. You'll need to break-up the sausage as it cooks.
-Add the rice and stir until it's completely incorporated into the oil/onion/sausage mixture. Add the wine and stir until absorbed.
-Ladle two cups of the hot tomato liquid into the rice pot, set your timer for five minutes, and stir occasionally until the liquid is absorbed. Continue in this manner, now adding one cup at a time, for twenty-five minutes total. At this point the rice will be tender.
-Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the spinach, Parmesan and butter*.

**You could omit or cut-down on the Parmesan and butter.

Best when served with this guy!

Thanks for reading this week! Have a lovely weekend. xo

Recipe Source: Smitten Kitchen