Tomato Sausage Risotto

 We've made this a couple of times, this time I made some revisions in the hopes that Nadia would eat it. Still no go. But David and I loved it anyway. It's possible Nadia would have liked it if she hadn't already decided she wanted to eat something else for dinner that wasn't on offer.

Based on: https://smittenkitchen.com/2006/11/tomato-and-sausage-risotto

• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice (I used petite diced for smaller tomato bits)
• 3 cups water or chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed (I used ground turkey + homemade seasoning adapted, see below)
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning adapted
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (I used a shallot)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 bunch chopped flat-leaf spinach (10 to 14 ounces / 7 cups) (I used 1 cup green beans trimmed and in half instead)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional but ... highly recommended)
• 2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water or stock. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat. (Sounds like this is an optional step to heat, I did it because I had to thaw out the stock anyway)
2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion or shallot and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add sausage or turkey and seasoning. Cook, breaking up meat until it's cooked and opaque 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.
4. Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid).
5. Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach (or green of choice), parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper if needed, ours didn't need any additional salt at this point. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional parmesan, if desired.