Creamy One Pot Orzo

This Creamy One Pot Orzo dish is flavorful, easy, and makes a delicious weeknight dinner. It’s hearty enough to stand alone as a meal with the spicy Italian sausage and then you still get some veggies with spinach and roasted red peppers. The creamy tomato sauce brings this whole dish together and makes it a meal you’ll adore. Plus, it makes great leftovers. Not a fan of spice, you can easily use regular Italian sausage instead of spicy and leave out the red pepper flakes. It will still have plenty of flavor. Maybe the best part of this dish is that it can be made in 30 minutes and all in one pan. One pot meals make for easy cleanup, which is great for busy weeknights.

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Creamy One Pot Orzo

Orzo pasta with sausage, roasted red peppers and spinach in a creamy tomato sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword creamy orzo with sausage, spinach and red peppers, one pot meal, orzo pasta

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 3 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Hot Italian sausage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup orzo
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers

Instructions

• Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink and slightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. While the sausage is cooking break it up with your spoon into small pieces. Remove the sausage from the pan when done.
• Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and cut the roasted red peppers into strips and then into bite sized pieces. Add the olive oil to the pan and heat for about 1 minute. Add the onion and cook until soft (approximately 4-5 minutes). Add the garlic and orzo cook for 1 more minute stirring frequently.
• Add chicken broth and seasoning. Increase heat to high and bring to a gentle boil. Cook 7 minutes so that most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir frequently while cooking.
• Lower heat to medium. Add crushed tomatoes and spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted and more liquid from the broth is absorbed, about 4-5 minutes. Add the cream, roasted red peppers and cooked sausage. Stir until combined and heated through, roughly 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat and serve. Top with grated parmesan cheese if you like. This makes great leftovers and keeps well in the fridge for several days.