Saffron Risotto with Chicken Sausage and Collard Greens

My saffron risotto has always been a big hit for the two of us. I highly, highly, highly recommend this risotto if you're willing to take the time to make it right. It probably takes me 45 minutes just to make the risotto and you can't rush it or it won't turn out well. Risottos themselves aren't enough to be an entree, but when we supplement the dish with some protein and greens, it's an incredibly filling meal. Brit's grandmother had sent us a polenta recipe that involves a sausage and veggie topping, including onions, spinach, mushrooms, and more. We loved the topping and decided to incorporate that idea into the risotto.

I sliced up an onion and bell pepper and sauteed them until they were soft. I then added some sliced garlic chicken sausage, cooked until browned, mixed in a few cloves of minced garlic, and then finished it off by throwing in some sliced mushrooms. The whole thing was cooked until the mushrooms were done and set aside until the risotto was ready.

I had also tried cooking some collard greens the previous night with some sliced onion, minced garlic, and chicken stock. The problem was that I had not actually finished cooking them by the time we were ready to eat the meal. So, we saved the collard greens and finished cooking them for tonight's meal. We served the dish by placing the collard greens, sausage, and veggies on top of the risotto.