Italian Sausage Orzo from Salt and Lavender

Italian Sausage Orzo - made August 5, 2022 from Salt and Lavender

17.6 ounces Italian sausages, removed from casings

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flavor

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 cups fresh baby spinach, packed

salt and pepper to taste.

1. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, crumble sausage and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
2. Add onion and cook another 5 minutes until sausage is browned and onions are soft.
3. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes and orzo, stirring for 30 seconds.
4. Stir in the chicken broth and cream. Once it starts to bubble, continue cooking for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring constantly. Lower the heat so the mixture gently bubbles, not boils. 
5. Take the pot off the heat, stir in the parmesan and spinach and cover the pot for 3-5 minutes or until sauce has thickened and spinach is soft. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

I love simple, one-dish meals. Even better if I can sneak in something a little healthy and eat it without choking. Of course I refer to the spinach above. I don't love spinach but I can usually eat it raw (with other stuff) or cooked (with other stuff). It's one of the few vegetables I'll eat cooked as I prefer the few veggies I do eat to be raw. But cook down some spinach in a quiche or a cream-based dish, I'm good. Yes, I know that takes away from the nutritious value of spinach but oh well.

I don't usually cook with orzo but this seemed so easy to make (and it was), that I wanted to try it.

This is a great dish if you want something easy and quick to make. The Italian sausage adds some spice and protein to the dish and okay, fine, the heavy cream and parmesan cheese don't make it that healthy but hey, spinach.

Turns out I like orzo because it seems like a good cross between rice and pasta. Plus it's easy to cook with. And even the spinach goes down easy in this dish.