Name: Cheesy Orzo With Sausage And Peppers
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Olive oil; 1/2 Onion, sliced; 12-15 oz Kielbasa sausage or a similar sausage, cut into 1-2 inch pieces; 1 Red pepper, sliced; 1 Yellow pepper, sliced; 1 Green pepper, sliced; 1 cup Orzo, uncooked; 3 Cloves of garlic, minced; 2 cups Chicken broth. with an additional 1 cup handy; 15 oz Can diced tomatoes, undrained; 11/2 tbsp Cajun seasoning; 1 cup Fresh parmesan cheese; 1/2 cup Fresh parsley, chopped; Salt and pepper, as needed

Have you ever thought about making cheesy orzo with sausage and peppers?

If you love lasagna and Italian food, you’re sure to LOVE this recipe.

I recently found out what orzo was through a friend. At first I assumed it was just a type of rice. But I was so wrong!

Orzo is basically a pasta SHAPED as long grain rice, so it can easily fool you into thinking it IS rice. Either way, the recipe is delicious and makes for a hearty dinner recipe thats sure to leave your family full.

Now this isn’t exactly a quick dinner recipe and might take some time to put together, but once you do, I guarantee you the results will be rewarding in terms of how delicious it turns out.

This particular recipe has peppers and meat in it, which give it extra flavor and makes it more filling.

Now, some people might be confused as to how exactly you cook orzo. It’s actually a lot easier and less intimidating than most people think.

Once you learn a few simple steps, you’ll be an orzo cooking expert in no time.

Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

How To Cook Orzo

Orzo cooks pretty quickly.

Which is already a win if you’re a busy mom with a family to feed. Or if you simply used to making easy dinners in a hurry.

Cooking time for the most part is going to hover around 10 minutes. You want to make sure you aren’t packing too much orzo in one pan to make sure it cooks evenly and it doesn’t clump.

As with most pastas, you first want to bring some water to a boil before pouring in your orzo (which you can find in the pasta isle of your favorite local grocer).

This recipe calls for one cup of orzo. Remember that orzo is kind of like rice, once it expands, a little goes a long way. Once it starts to boil you want to occasionally give it a stir so it doesn’t clump or stick to your pan.

After about 10 minutes drain the water in the drainer and then flavor or garnish however you want. The full directions to THIS particular recipe are below and doesn’t require that you cook the orzo separately.

You can always stir in some olive oil to prevent it from sticking together if you’re going to leave it out for a while as the rest of your ingredients cook.

SIDE NOTE: When you’re cooking you’ll often run into conversion questions that you might not know off the top of your head. Especially when converting liquids. Here’s how to remember your kitchen conversions!

Other Healthy Orzo Recipes

Once you get into cooking orzo and like it, it’s always nice to know what other easy dinner ideas you can create with it that don’t have to be as involved as a lasagna recipe, but where you still get all the tasty goodness of pasta!

Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Orzo by The Clean Eating Couple.

Quick And Easy Lemon Orzo by Oh Sweet Basil.

Broccoli And Orzo by Skinny Taste.

Cheesy Orzo With Sausage And Peppers

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 Onion, sliced
12-15 oz Kielbasa sausage or a similar sausage, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1 Red pepper, sliced
1 Yellow pepper, sliced
1 Green pepper, sliced
1 cup Orzo, uncooked
3 Cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups Chicken broth. with an additional 1 cup handy
15 oz Can diced tomatoes, undrained
11/2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 cup Fresh parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper, as needed

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil on med-high, add onions and sausage and saute for 3 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Add the peppers, orzo, and garlic. Saute on med-high for 2-3 minutes or until the peppers have softened slightly, the sausage is browned, and the garlic is fragrant.
3. Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and cajun seasoning. Stir well. Cover and simmer on medium for 20-30 minutes, stirring often. It may be necessary to add additional chicken broth if the pasta begins sticking. Add ¼ cup more at a time, if needed.
4. When the orzo is cooked, stir in the cheese and fresh parsley. Check to see if additional salt and pepper is needed.
5. Serve warm.

Notes

To freeze:

Complete the dish without adding the cheese and parsley. Store in an air-tight container. When ready to serve, thaw and top with the fresh cheese and parsley. Bake at 350 degrees about 25-30 minutes until hot.

Add Orzo To Your Dinner Plans

If you haven’t discovered orzo yet, this recipe is a great way to get started with it. It makes for an awesome recipe that you can wow your friends and family with and you can even freeze it and recycle it as the perfect leftover dinner (or even dinner you can pack for lunch).

Happy cooking. ?

Cheesy Orzo: One Pan Orzo With Sausage And Peppers