Barley Risotto with Butternut Squash and Sausage

This dish is a little bit of work, but oh . so . satisfying! My little granddaughter, who is 20 months old, ate 3 bowls of this!
Risotto is a traditional Italian dish using Arborio rice, but I decided to use barley since I had it on hand. The flavor is nutty and hearty. 

serves 8 ( 1 c. = 7 points +)

• 4c. fat-free chicken broth
• 1/4 c. red wine
• 1/2 tsp. tumeric
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 c. diced onion
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1-3/4 c. uncooked barley
• 3 hot turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

In a medium saucepan, combine 3-1/2 c. wine and tumeric. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to keep warm.

Heat a large saucepot over medium-high heat. Add oil, onion and garlic. Cook until onion is translucent. Stir in barley. Cook for 3 minutes.

Using a 1/2 c. ladle, add broth mixture to barley, stirring occasionally. Allow each addition to be absorbed before adding more broth` 5-7 minutes.

In a large saute pan coated with nonstick spray, add sausage and break apart with a spoon. Cook until no longer pink. Remove sausage and place on a plate lined with paper towel to drain.

Add squash to saute pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally 7-10 minutes. Ad remaining 1/2 c. broth to pan. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until squash is tender. 

Add squash and sausage to pan and heat through. Stir in Parmesan cheese before serving.