Italian Sausage Orzo
Mark loves this dish!
You can use sausage links or ground venison Italian bulk sausage.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Italian sausages or bulk Italian Venison sausage (see Note)
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste), optional
- 1 c. uncooked orzo pasta
- 2 c. chicken broth
- 1 c. heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 c. fresh baby spinach (packed)
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
If using sausage links, take the meat out of its casings and crumble it into a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Over medium-high heat, cook it for 5 minutes.
Stir in the onions and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so, until the sausage is nicely browned and the onion has softened.
Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and orzo; stir and cook for around 30 seconds.
Stir in the chicken broth and cream. Once it starts to bubble, continue cooking for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring fairly often (or else the orzo may stick to the bottom of the pot). You will likely need to turn the heat down a bit (to medium-low). It should gently bubble vs. boil (you don't want the liquid to reduce too much before the pasta has cooked).
Take the pot off the heat, stir in the parmesan and spinach; cover the pot for 3-5 minutes or until it has thickened up to your liking.
Season with salt & pepper as needed, transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.
NOTE: Use a 5-pack of Italian sausages (beef, pork or turkey) or lb. ground Italian sausage meat works as well. I made with 1 lb. ground venison Italian sausage and it was excellent.
This pairs really well with my Oven Roasted Vegetables.