Risotto with lentils and sausages is a hearty one-pot dinner of green lentils, Italian sausage and creamy risotto rice, ready in about 1 hour. It feeds 4 and works well on a cold weeknight.
Why This Recipe Works
The lentils and sausages simmer in the stock first, so the stock picks up their flavor before it ever reaches the rice. Every ladleful you stir in carries some of that savory taste into the grains.
Dice the potatoes, carrots and celery to the same 1/4-inch size. They cook at the same speed, and the risotto stays even in texture instead of mixing hard bits with mushy ones.
Add the broth one ladleful at a time and let the rice absorb each one. Stirring rubs starch off the grains, and that starch is what makes the risotto creamy while the center of each grain keeps a little bite.
Risotto with Lentils and Sausages Ingredients
For the lentils and sausages
- 7 ounces green lentils
- 14 ounces salamini (a type of luganiga, Italian sausage)
- 1 bay leaf
- 9 cups chicken stock or a bouillon cube
For the risotto
- 1 small onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 7 ounces potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped, or 2 tablespoons passata or chopped tomatoes
- 11 1/2 ounces risotto rice (carnaroli, vialone nano or arborio)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Risotto with Lentils and Sausages
Cook the lentils and sausages
- Simmer in stock: Put the lentils, salamini and bay leaf in a large pot with the 9 cups of stock. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, so the stock takes on flavor and the lentils soften.
- Keep it warm: Leave the pot on low heat afterward. Hot stock keeps the rice cooking steadily when you add it later.
Start the base
- Chop the vegetables: Chop the onion finely. Peel the carrots, then cut them and the celery into 1/4-inch dice, the same size as the potatoes.
- Soften the onion: Warm the 5 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over low heat. Fry the onion gently until soft, but pull it off the heat before it takes any color.
- Fry the vegetables: Add the potatoes, celery, carrots and tomatoes. Fry gently for 2 minutes, stirring now and then.
- Coat the rice: Stir in the 11 1/2 ounces of risotto rice. Keep stirring until every grain is coated in oil.
Finish the risotto
- Add by the ladleful: Stir in 1 ladleful of the broth, lentils and sausages. Keep stirring until the rice has absorbed it before you add the next one.
- Repeat until creamy: Continue until everything in the pot is used. The rice should look creamy and still have a little bite in the center.
- Season and serve: Taste, then add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve right away while it is loose and creamy.
Recipe Tips
- Use real risotto rice: Carnaroli, vialone nano or arborio have the starch you need. Long-grain rice will not turn creamy.
- Keep the stock hot: Cold stock stops the cooking each time it goes in and slows the risotto down. Keep the pot on low heat.
- Swap the lentils: If you have no lentils, beans or chickpeas work in their place. Use them cooked and drained, and add them with the broth.
- Taste before salting: A bouillon cube and the sausages are both salty. Check the risotto at the end before you add any salt.
What To Serve With Risotto with Lentils and Sausages
Serve this risotto in warm bowls straight from the pan, since it firms up as it cools. A simple green salad with a sharp lemon dressing or a side of sautéed greens goes well next to it.
How To Store
- Fridge: Cool the leftovers and keep them in a covered container for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm it in a pan over low heat with a splash of stock or water, stirring until hot all the way through. The rice will have thickened, so it needs the extra liquid.
- Freezer: Rice and potatoes soften after freezing. If you freeze it, do so for up to 2 months and thaw it in the fridge, never on the counter.
FAQs
Can I use beans or chickpeas instead of lentils?
Yes. Cooked beans or chickpeas work as a swap. Add them with the broth, the same way you would the lentils.
What kind of sausage should I use for lentil risotto?
Salamini, a type of luganiga, is a mild Italian sausage that holds up to simmering. Any plain pork sausage without strong spices is a good substitute.
Is lentil and sausage risotto gluten free?
It can be. Rice, lentils and potatoes have no gluten. Check the label on your stock or bouillon cube and on the sausages, since some contain fillers made with wheat.
Why is my risotto gluey instead of creamy?
The usual causes are too much stirring after the rice is done, or letting it sit in the pot. Take it off the heat while the rice still has some bite and serve it right away.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 820 kcal
- Total Fat: 33g
- Total Carbohydrate: 95g
- Dietary Fiber: 13g
- Protein: 36g
Risotto with Lentils and Sausages
4
servings15
minutes45
minutes60
minutesA one-pot Italian risotto with green lentils, salamini sausages and creamy rice, with diced potatoes, carrots and celery. Serves 4 and takes about an hour.
Ingredients
- For the lentils and sausages
7 ounces green lentils
14 ounces salamini (a type of luganiga, Italian sausage)
1 bay leaf
9 cups chicken stock or a bouillon cube
- For the risotto
1 small onion
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
7 ounces potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped, or 2 tablespoons passata or chopped tomatoes
11 1/2 ounces risotto rice (carnaroli, vialone nano or arborio)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Simmer in stock: Put the lentils, salamini and bay leaf in a large pot with the 9 cups of stock. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, so the stock takes on flavor and the lentils soften.
- Keep it warm: Leave the pot on low heat afterward. Hot stock keeps the rice cooking steadily when you add it later.
- Chop the vegetables: Chop the onion finely. Peel the carrots, then cut them and the celery into 1/4-inch dice, the same size as the potatoes.
- Soften the onion: Warm the 5 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over low heat. Fry the onion gently until soft, but pull it off the heat before it takes any color.
- Fry the vegetables: Add the potatoes, celery, carrots and tomatoes. Fry gently for 2 minutes, stirring now and then.
- Coat the rice: Stir in the 11 1/2 ounces of risotto rice. Keep stirring until every grain is coated in oil.
- Add by the ladleful: Stir in 1 ladleful of the broth, lentils and sausages. Keep stirring until the rice has absorbed it before you add the next one.
- Repeat until creamy: Continue until everything in the pot is used. The rice should look creamy and still have a little bite in the center.
- Season and serve: Taste, then add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve right away while it is loose and creamy.
