Tomato and Sausage Risotto

My apologizes for the delay, but I burnt myself out overbaking last weekend ... and then I had a refrigerator full of delicious leftovers from the baby shower.  I decided to ease myself back into cooking that I should retry a risotto recipe I horribly mangled before when I couldn't find risotto rice at the Metro.  For attempt #2, I had the proper rice and bliss was found.  This time around, I skipped the William Walters sausage out of pure laziness, but I'm sure it'd be even better with my favourite chevreuil aux vin rouge.

I cut down the spinach and lazily just used baby spinach without chopping.  It could've used more spinach, but I was saving some for cooking later in the week.  I threw in some garlic powder and Italian seasoning out of boredom while waiting for it to cook ... not included below, but have fun throwing things in.

Tomato and Sausage Risotto from Smitten Kitchen (and Martha Stewart!)

Ingredients

1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
400g sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
100g baby spinach
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons butter  

1. In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 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, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.