Italian Sausage & Orzo Soup

Name: Italian Sausage Soup With Orzo
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 500 grams Mild Italian Sausage; 1 cup Orzo Pasta; 1 tbsp Olive Oil; 1/2 Onion; 1 tbsp Garlic; 1 28 Oz Crushed Tomato; 2 tspn Italian Seasoning; 1/2 tspn red chili Flakes ((optional)); salt and pepper to taste; 4-6 cups Chicken Broth; 2 cups Spinach ((Tightly Packed)); 1/4 cup Half and Half; 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese ((to serve))

This one-pot Italian sausage soup made of spicy Italian sausage and orzo pasta with rich tomato flavor, is incredibly delicious.

Italian sausage soup made with spicy Italian Sausage in a rich tomato flavor base in a pot.

Delicious Italian sausage soup with Orzo pasta is our new favorite. It has so much flavor and texture in every spoonful of it. A loaf of crusty bread and a big bowl of this soup will be winter comfort food.

This soup is satisfying and filling with refreshing tomato-based broth, spicy Italian sausage, orzo pasta, and spinach. I am sure this soup with sausage will get you through the winter.

Soup doesn’t have to be bland. You can easily make it tasty and healthy at the same time. And it took me years to convince the same to my husband. And now he can happily have a bowl of soup for dinner.

This Sausage Soup is already a household favorite. Tomato Soup is an all-time favorite, and I make it very frequently. When the regular Tomato Soup gets an upgrade with spicy sausage and pasta, it is even better, isn’t it? My little one was very excited to see those cute little Orzo pasta, and of course, there was a lot of cheese on top for her.

Check out these authentic dishes for recipes with Italian flavors – Italian Chopped Salad, Pesto Pasta Salad, or Pasta Alla Norma (Eggplant pasta).

Orzo soup sprinkled with parmesan cheese served in a white bowl along with bread slices.

Orzo Pasta

Orzo looks like rice but means ‘barley’ in Italian. It is commonly made from white flour but healthy wheat versions are made from semolina flour, which itself is made from durum wheat.

Orzo has a soft texture like pasta and is considered a kind of short pasta. Originally from Italy, orzo has been popular since the last century in cuisines of Europe, Mediterranean region and the middle east.

Because of its small size and soft rice-like look and texture, orzo is widely used to make soups and salads. Chicken orzo soup is quite popular and you will find its delicious recipe here with a citrous flavor – Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup.

Salads made with orzo like this Shrimp Orzo Salad With Pesto salad, Orzo salad with spring veggies are nutritious, healthy and fulfilling. Another delicious recipe with chicken and orzo with tomato base and freshness of basil is One Pot Tomato Basil Chicken Orzo.

Cooking orzo before using it in a recipe is quite simple. It cooks relatively quickly and cooking orzo is like cooking any other pasta. You boil it in a pot of water and follow the time as per the packet instructions.

Italian Sausage

Italian sausage is a type of pork sausage which is referred as such in North America. It is made with fennel and other spices. The variety and choice of spices determine the heat in the sausage. Italian sausages are available as mild, sweet or hot variants.

I have made the Italian sausage used in this recipe, at home. Homemade sausages are better than store-bought ones as the spice powders used are fresh and potent. You also have control over the ingredients. Remember – spice powdered or whole lose their potency over time. So the best sausage you can make is with freshly ground spices and good quality minced pork.

I made it with minced pork and Italian seasoning and spices like parsley, fennel seeds, black pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes. I have also used minced onion and garlic for added flavor and body. They need to be salted with salt.

Orzo Soup made with Italian Sausage in a big pot and shown with a ladle

Ingredients

Italian Sausage – I have used homemade Italian sausage. You can do the same or get store-bought ones. The sausages I made are mildly spiced. You can choose from sweet, mild or hot sausages.
Orzo Pasta – dry orzo looks like rice and has a soft texture.
Chicken Broth – gives body to the soup. Broth also provides a flavor base that elevates any soup.
Half & Half cream – is a mixture of half whole milk and half cream. It has less than half the fat of heavy cream and tastes like rich, creamy milk. It is used in soup recipes to get a creamy texture.
Parmesan cheese – Used to sprinkle over the soup when plated. Gives a cheesy flavor in each spoonful.
Crushed Tomato – forms the base of the soup along with onion and garlic.
Onion & Garlic – used as flavoring agent when sauteed in olive, they release flavors and elevates the soup.
Italian Seasoning – classic seasoning that gives the Italian flavors to the orzo soup.
Olive Oil – used as a source of fat to sauté the onions, garlic and sausages.
Spinach – stir in fresh baby spinach as a source of fiber and high mineral and vitamin content. You can substitute spinach with kale.
Red chili flakes – add to increase the heat as per your tolerance.
Salt and pepper – brings all the other flavors out and balances the soup.

(Optional) – This is optional but you can use mushrooms and vegetables like carrots, celery and red bell pepper. Parsley is another option to use as herb.

Instructions – How to make Italian Sausage Orzo Soup

Making Sausage Orzo Soup is pretty easy and quick. It comes together in just 20 minutes, and you need only one pot to make it. Start with caramelizing the onion and garlic in oil on medium heat. Break sausage into small chunks and brown along with onion and garlic. We are talking about big flavors here, and frying onion, garlic in oil, and brown sausage are what will give you flavors.

Browning and caramelizing the sausage helps to release flavourful oil into the pan. Once the browning is done, dump all the ingredients into the pan except Spinach and let it cook until the pasta is done. Then add the spinach and let it soften. Tada!! It is done.

But wait! What’s comfort food without cheese or cream??? Well, you will not miss your favorite creamy Chicken soup because I have taken care of that. Add a couple of tablespoons of cream and sprinkle a handful of parmesan cheese at the end before serving.

Italian Sausage Orzo soup served in white bowl along with bread

How to make in the Crockpot

While it is always easy and quick to make things on the stovetop, Slow cooking comes in handy when you don’t want active involvement. This Italian Sausage Orzo Soup can easily be made in a crockpot. It can’t be a total dump-and-forget kind of recipe. Browning of Onion, garlic, and sausage is an essential step to release all the flavors. So before adding all the ingredients to the slow cooker, it is important to brown in a pan.

Once the meat is browned, add the onion, garlic, and sausage Mixture to the Crockpot and the other ingredients (except Spinach, cream, and cheese). Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. 20 minutes before the cooking time ends, add spinach to the pot. After 10 minutes, add cream and cheese to the pot.