Italian
One-Pot Sausage Orzo
Italian sausage, orzo, spinach, and diced tomato share a pot with onion and broth. The orzo cooks directly in the liquid, so the starch thickens the sauce without a second pan.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Orzo cooks in the sausage juices and broth, so the sauce tastes like the meat without a separate reduction.
- Browning the sausage first gives the pot color and renders fat you can cook the onion in.
- Spinach is added at the end and wilts in a minute, so it stays green.
- Diced tomato brings acid, which keeps a sausage pot from tasting heavy.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and break it into small pieces. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes. A piece in the center should reach 160°F.
- 2
Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- 3
Pour in the tomatoes and broth. Stir in the orzo, salt, and pepper.
- 4
Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring once halfway, until the orzo is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes.
- 5
If the orzo is still firm and the pot is dry, add 1/4 cup broth, cover, and cook 3 minutes more.
- 6
Stir in the spinach and parmesan off the heat until the spinach wilts. Serve warm.
Pro tips
- Sweet or hot Italian sausage both work. Hot sausage makes the pot spicier without any extra chili.
- Do not rinse the orzo. The surface starch is what tightens the tomato broth.
- Scoop from the bottom when you stir so the orzo does not weld itself to the pot.
Easy substitutions
- Italian sausage
- chicken sausage, cooked to 165°F
- baby spinach
- 2 cups chopped kale, added with 3 minutes left
- chicken broth
- vegetable broth
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Warm in a saucepan over medium-low with a splash of broth, stirring, until hot, about 6 minutes. The orzo thickens as it sits, so the splash brings the sauce back.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 540
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
Moderate · One Pan, Stovetop
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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