This delicious Italian Sausage Orzo recipe is creamy, comforting, and quick, making it a great one pot meal for busy weeknights! With plenty of veggies, creamy cannelini beans, and flavorful Italian sausage- this meal is super satisfying any night of the week!
JUMP TO RECIPEThis site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
Easy, hearty and delicious weeknight Italian Sausage Orzo
The perfect hearty meal for a cozy night in soup season! This Easy One Pot Italian Sausage Orzo with Spinach and Parmesan comes together in about 30 minutes, all in one pot!
Loaded with crumbled and flavorful Italian sausage, veggies, orzo and cannelini beans, this creamy and flavorful one pot meal always satisfies.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- One onion, diced.
- A medium red, orange or yellow bell pepper, diced.
- Fresh garlic cloves.
- Italian sausage. You can customize to your tastes by using mild, sweet or hot sausage! Pork sausage or chicken sausage will work for this recipe! If using sausage in casing, remove the casing prior to cooking.
- Uncooked orzo pasta. The orzo will cook right in the pot with the other ingredients, making this a truly one pot meal!
- Some chicken stock.
- A bit of dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc. If you'd rather not cook with wine, you can omit this, but it adds a nice depth of flavor to the finished orzo.
- Frozen spinach, or fresh baby spinach. If using fresh spinach, double the amount, and add it right at the end and stir in until just wilted.
- A can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
- A bit of prepared pesto - store bought or homemade.
- Heavy cream, to give the dish richness and creaminess.
- A bit of fresh grated nutmeg.
- Crushed red pepper flakes.
- Fresh grated parmesan cheese.
How to make Italian Sausage Orzo
- In a large pot or soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion and peppers, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until slightly softened, 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook until just fragrant, 30 seconds.
- Add the sausage and cook, breaking up as you go, until not pink remains, 5 minutes.
- Turn to medium-high heat. Add the orzo, chicken stock, and wine. Cook, stirring occasionally until orzo is cooked to al dente, 10-12 minutes. Be sure to stir often to ensure the orzo doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Once orzo is al dente, turn heat back down to medium. Add the heavy cream, frozen spinach, beans, pesto, nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook until warmed through, and slightly thickened 3-5 minutes.
- Fold in parmesan and serve!
Why you'll love this dish
- It cooks in one pot! Less mess is always a plus, especially on busy weeknights!
- It's a complete meal. With veggies, sausage, beans and orzo- this one pot meal check all the boxes.
- It reheats well. Just add a little splash of water, milk, or chicken stock and it reheats in minutes!
Tips for great Italian Sausage Orzo every time
- Use a large pot to make sure you have plenty of room. I like to use a large soup pot or dutch oven.
- Be sure to keep stirring when you're cooing the orzo, to make sure it doesn't stick.
- Wait to add the pesto, nutmeg and red pepper flakes to the end for best finished flavor.
Serving and storing
Serve the sausage orzo hot, with a little sprinkle of grated parmesan on top. This orzo goes great with a little side salad and some crusty bread, or just as it is!
Storing the orzo
This Italian Sausage Orzo will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Since the recipe contains cream and cheese, I would not recommend freezing.
Want to save this recipe for later? Pin it!
Made this Italian Sausage Orzo? Leave a review and rating below!
Easy One Pot Italian Sausage Orzo with Spinach and Parmesan
Equipment
- large pot or soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium red, yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage (mild, sweet or hot)
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 cup frozen spinach
- 1 15.5 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon prepared pesto
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (if you're spice-averse, reduce the amount)
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a large pot or soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. 2. Add the onion and peppers, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until slightly softened, 5 minutes. 3. Add the garlic and cook until just fragrant, 30 seconds. 4. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up as you go, until not pink remains, 5 minutes. 5. Turn to medium-high heat. Add the orzo, chicken stock, and wine. Cook, stirring occasionally until orzo is cooked to al dente, 10-12 minutes. Be sure to stir often to ensure the orzo doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. 6. Once orzo is al dente, turn heat back down to medium. Add the heavy cream, frozen spinach, beans, pesto, nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook until warmed through, and slightly thickened 3-5 minutes. 7. Fold in parmesan and serve!
© Jawns I Cooked. All images & content are the sole property of Jawns I Cooked. Please ask permission prior to using my photos. If you would like to share one of my recipes, please link back to this post and re-write the instructions in your own words.
Leave a Reply