Slow Cooker Risotto with Italian Sausage

This slow cooker Italian sausage risotto takes the guess work out of making risotto the traditional way!

This dish is packed with Italian sausage, oregano and spinach and is the ultimate comfort food.

You’ll love how simple and easy it is to make!

How to make slow cooker risotto

Ingredients Needed

• Onion. Aromatics for flavor, know what I’m sayin’?
• Italian sausage. You can use pork or turkey.
• Garlic. I think it’s obvious we want garlic in this recipe, eh?
• Italian seasoning and oregano. For flavor, of course.
• Arborio rice. It’s important you use arborio rice for risotto because of the starch content.
• Stock. I use unsalted chicken.
• Parm and parsley. For garnish!

Equipment Needed

• A cutting board and chef’s knife.
• A stove and skillet.
• A wooden spoon.
• Measuring spoons and cups.
• A slow cooker.
• Bowls and spoons for serving.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Heat oil in large skillet to medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and saute 3-4 minutes, until tender.
3. Add the Italian sausage and cook, stirring regularly, until browned, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
   • (If you’re using an Instant Pot, you can do this step right in the Instant Pot set on saute.)
4. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano, salt and black pepper and stir to combine.
5. Place the Italian sausage mixture into the bowl of a slow cooker.
6. Add the arborio rice and chicken stock and stir to combine.
7. Cook on high 1 ½ to 2 hours or low 3-4 hours. Stir in the spinach.
8. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
9. Serve garnished with parmesan and parsley.

Nutrition Considerations

• To make it gluten free: This slow cooker risotto with Italian sausage recipe is gluten free.
  • Just be sure the packaged ingredients you use are gluten free.
• To make it dairy free: Skip the Parm and try it with nutritional yeast.
• To make it vegan: Skip the sausage and use 2 pounds of sliced mushrooms.
  • Use vegetable stock instead of chicken.
  • Skip the Parm and try it with nutritional yeast.

Comfort food recipes you’ll love:

• Spaghetti Pie
• Tater Tot Casserole
• Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake
• Tuna Noodle Casserole with Potato Chips
• Brussels Sprouts Sausage Pasta
• Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
• Classic BBQ Meatloaf Cups

Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Risotto

Print Recipe

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This slow cooker risotto takes just a few minutes of prep and is loaded with Italian sausage, spinach and herbs.

• Author: Julie Andrews
• Prep Time: 10-15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins-4 hrs
• Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins-4 hrs 15 mins
• Yield: 10 Servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Slow Cooker
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 1-pound ground Italian sausage (turkey or pork)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 4 cups unsalted chicken stock
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• Shaved parmesan and chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley, for garnish

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Instructions

1. Heat oil in large skillet to medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute 3-4 minutes, until tender. Add the Italian sausage and cook, stirring regularly, until browned, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
2. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano, salt and black pepper and stir to combine.
3. Place the Italian sausage mixture into the bowl of a slow cooker. Add the arborio rice and chicken stock and stir to combine.
4. Cook on high 1 ½ to 2 hours or low 3-4 hours. Stir in the spinach.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve garnished with parmesan and parsley.

Notes

Cooking Tip: Note that this recipe will overcook easily and all slow cookers are different. Keep watch of the risotto as it cooks to be sure it has enough liquid and is not overcooking (becoming mushy).

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/10 of recipe
• Calories: 254
• Sugar: 1g
• Sodium: 277mg
• Fat: 6g
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Unsaturated Fat: 2g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 31g
• Fiber: 5g
• Protein: 18g
• Cholesterol: 34mg