Herby Sausage and Tomato Rissoto

Post done in collaboration with Don Pepino Pizza Sauce

Let’s be real: sometimes the thought of making a proper risotto on a random Tuesday can feel… ambitious. The classic stir-and-strew ritual is beautiful, but on a busy weeknight, we just want cozy and quick. And this is where the instant pot shines and comes in handy.

Enter my current fall obsession: a herby sausage and tomato risotto that is gentle, impossibly easy, and somehow maintains all that creamy elegance you crave. This isn’t just easy, though; it’s a “whip it together in a flash” cozy.

Well, it pulls together all the comfort of slow simmered sausage and peppers but in a one pot all in risotto format.

My Cozy Secrets: A Dash of Fall Magic

The true secret to this gentle risotto’s speed is a bit of weeknight magic: high-quality, ready-made pasta sauce. Don’t think of it as a shortcut; think of it as a pre-built flavor engine that adds deep, savory depth without the simmering time. And of course with the instant pot locking in the flavors we are looking at 20 to 25 minutes of

To truly bring this into fall, I leaned into a garden still bursting with late-season life. A yard full of fresh herbs—think woodsy rosemary, cozy thyme, and a whole load of parsley—adds an earthy, sophisticated backbone that lifts the simple ingredients.

A few splashes of robust red wine, a mountain of fresh Parmesan, and that sweet, creamy, caramelized-tomato sweetness from the pasta sauce… it’s basically an elegant fall hug in a bowl.

Why You Need This on Your Weeknight Repeat:

• Gentle & Simple: The method is straightforward, and the prep is minimal. It’s the ultimate stress-free elegance.

• Impossibly Easy: The pizza sauce and the  does the heavy lifting, giving you a risotto that tastes like it simmered for hours

• Cozy Fall Comfort: It’s creamy, savory, and perfectly timed for a crisp autumn night.

The ultimate non-negotiable really is a lot of good quality parmesan cheese. This dish is almost like a rich and slow simmered pasta dish in a creamy risotto format.

Herby Sausage and Tomato Risotto

A comforting and cozy risotto that comes together easily in the instant pot, brimming with the flavors of a yard full of fresh garden herbs.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup, diced red bell pepper
• 8 ounces, spicy Italian sausage, cut into smaller pieces
• 1/3 cup, dry red wine
• 1/2 Don Pepino pizza sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley plus more for serving
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary and thyme
• 3/4 cup arborio rice
• 11/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese plus more for serving

Method

 

1. Set the instant pot onto sauté and heat the olive oil. Add in the onion, garlic and bell pepper and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
2. Add in the sausage and the wine and the tomato sauce and stir until the mixture is nice and bubbly.
3. Add in the salt, sugar, parsley, crushed red pepper, rosemary and thyme. Add in the rice and stir will until uniformly mixed.
4. Turn off the sauté mode and add in the broth and stir well to deglaze the pot.
5. Set to 2 minutes of high pressure, allow 10 minutes of resting time before releasing the pressure.
6. Remove the lid, stir in the cream and the cheese.
7. Serve hot with extra cheese and parsley as desired.