One Pan Italian Sausage Orzo
This one pan Italian sausage orzo is a quick and easy meal made with red bell peppers, onions, garlic, orzo, chicken broth, cream, parmesan, and spinach. It's perfect for busy weeknights— minimal effort and minimal clean up!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage, sweet or spicy
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- ½ cup chopped white onion, about ½ medium
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- In a large pot, like a dutch oven, cook the sausage over medium-high heat. As the sausage starts to cook, break it up with a spatula until almost cooked. Stir in the chopped pepper, onion, and garlic and cook until soft and the sausage is cooked through— about 5-7 minutes. Then, stir in the orzo.
- Add the chicken broth and heavy cream, while gently rubbing the bottom of the pan with a spatula to list the flavor bits. Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the orzo and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes until the orzo absorbs the liquid and the orzo is cooked.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the spinach and parmesan until the spinach wilts down.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired. The orzo stays fresh for up to 1 week when stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: This recipe can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and heat as desired.
- Sausage: You can use Italian sweet or spicy sausage or even turkey sausage.
- Chicken Broth: Using the chicken broth provides more flavor. If you don't have it on hand, you can use water. You might need to add a bit more salt at the end.
- Heavy Cream: Any type of milk works— I’ve used dairy-free milks too, typically oat milk.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!