This One Pot Italian Sausage Orzo Soup with Spicy Italian Sausage, Orzo Pasta with rich tomato flavour is delicious and takes only 20 minutes to make.
Delicious Italian Sausage Soup with Orzo is our new favorite. It has so much flavour and texture in every spoonful of it. A loaf of crusty bread and a big bowl of this soup is going to be a winter comfort food.
Refreshing tomato-based broth, spicy Italian Sausage, Orzo pasta, and Spinach, this Soup is very satisfying and filling. I am sure this Sausage Orzo soup will get you through the winter.
Soup doesn't have to be boring and bland. Soup can easily be made 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 favourite. Tomato Soup is an all-time favourite 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 the top for her.
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 caramelising the Onion and garlic in oil. Break sausage to small chunks and brown along with onion and garlic. We are talking about big flavours here and frying onion, garlic in oil, and brown the sausage are what will give you flavours.
Browning and caramelizing the sausage helps to release flavourful oil to the pan. Once the browning is done, just dump all the ingredients to the pan except Spinach and let it cook till 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 are not going to 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.
How to make in the Crockpot
While it is always easy and quick to make things on the stovetop, Slow cooking comes 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 flavours. So before adding all the ingredients to the slow cooker, it is important to brown in a pan.
Once the meat is browned, add Onion, garlic, Sausage Mixture to the Crockpot along with the rest of the 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.
More Soup Recipes
Italian Sausage Soup With Orzo
Ingredients
- 500 grams Mild Italian Sausage
- 1 cup Orzo Pasta
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- ½ Onion
- 1 tbsp Garlic
- 1 28 Oz Crushed Tomato
- 2 tspn Italian Seasoning
- ½ tspn red chili Flakes (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Spinach (Tightly Packed)
- ¼ cup Half and Half
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese (to serve)
Instructions
- Heat Oil in a heavy bottom pan. Once Warm add chopped onion and garlic. Saute until the onion has softened and raw garlic smell is gone.
- Roughly break sausages to small chunks. Add to the pan. Saute for 5-6 minutes until they are browned and aromatic. Break any bigger chunk of sausage.
- Deglaze the pot by adding stocks. Scarp the bottom of the pan to remove any brown bits. Stir in the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, chilli flakes, salt and pepper
- When the stock comes to a boil stir in Orzo Pasta,
- Cover and let it cook for 8-10 minutes in the medium-low heat until Orzo is almost cooked. Stir in between to prevent Orzo from getting stuck at the bottom.
- Stir in Spinach to the pot and let it cook for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame.
- Stir in half and half.
- Serve with a generous topping of parmesan cheese.
Suzanne says
This soup is awesome! Hearty and rich, great anytime of year! So easy to make! I going to make the base and put in freezer adding the orzo, cream and spinach after thawing and reheating..
Tracy says
OMG THIS SOUP IS SO GOOD!!
Erin says
Delicious! Takes no time at all, but has so much flavor that it tastes like it cooked all afternoon. Thank you for this, it’s a keeper!
Samantha W says
This was DELICIOUS!! Wondering what the recommendations are for reheating this, as most of the soup is absorbed.
Amanda says
A delicious and easy weeknight meal!
Natalie says
Can I use frozen spinach?
Subhasmita says
Yes, you can.
GB says
Great recipe. Wanted to add some more veggies to added carrots and zucchini. Also swapped regular sausage for chicken sausage to cut out some of the fat.
Jennifer says
this looks really good - can milk be substituted for the half and half?
Subhasmita says
I would not suggest substituting with milk as it will not give a creamy texture. You can use heavy cream instead or if you must use milk then use full fat milk.
Jimmy says
This was very delicious, however, I'm thinking of something else that might substitute for the sausage. Even the mild sausage was a bit strong tasting for me. Perhaps portabella mushrooms, or small pieces of stew beef. But that would require longer cooking, so I'm not sure.
Subhasmita says
Mushroom is a great substitute. Stew beef might need longer cooking time. So first let the meat cook and towards the end add orzo and let it cook until done.
MarLo says
I used ground beef instead of the sausage, it was delicious. I drained the fat before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Janelle says
Can this be frozen for later? It’s a family favorite!
subhasmita says
When frozen, orzo might soak up all the liquid/broth and will become mushy. Personally I don’t like that.
Rebecca L Sackman says
Absolutely Yummy! I am not a fan of italian sausage, by far, BUT this is the best soup I have ever had! My family loves it (also our local store sells ground italian sausage so I didn't have to worry about the casing). Thank you for the recipe!!
Andrea says
I am about to make this. I was wondering if I cut the sausage up or take it out of the casing to cook.
subhasmita says
Take it out of the casing.
Adriane says
Made for the first time tonight and it did not disappoint! I will make this again for sure. I did omit the crushed red pepper flakes because I am not a fan of it.
Lena says
Wow this was amazing! So yummy ! Followed the recipe, didn’t need any kind of modification! Thanks for sharing
Wanda says
This is a "KEEPER" recipe! My family loved it...even my finicky eater! It was a quick meal with salad and garlic bread. Thank you!
Janie says
Where to start?! My hubby has alpha gal, so I modify most recipes to meet his needs. Mind you we have a 7 and 8 yr old. I made this tonight using mild Italian duck sausage and dairy free half n half. WHAT?!?! It was amazing!!! I can’t even begin to describe just how good it was!!!
Tiffany E says
This was fantastic. So simple and yet so tasty. Made exactly as written aside from roughly chopping the spinach. My husband never has much to say about soup but before he even finished his bowl he said “put this in the rotation”. I agree. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Deena L Borza says
Are we to use chicken broth or chicken stock? The list of ingredients says "broth" but the instructions say "stock".
subhasmita says
It is chicken stock.
Cindylou Carter says
Made this soup today excellent, it’s a keeper the only thing I did different was I use spicy smoked sausage links and I slice it up in inch pieces ! It gave the liquid a kick . Very fulfilling , this will now be on my winter soups list ! Once again excellent!
Vickie L Hooke says
Love the soup but made it in my crock pot and the timing didn't work. Orzo cooked too long and was too soft. Next time I will add the orzo during the last hour and cook in 3 hours on low.
Jan says
I always make in the crockpot along with other soups and I always put the pasta at the end, last 1/2 hr -hrs.
Ashley says
I used kale instead of spinach and added a diced bulb of fennel for some extra flavor. Absolutely delicious!
Melanie Godfrey says
Would you recommend sticking with chicken broth or have you tried beef broth with this recipe? Just wondering if I can use what I have in the pantry!
SO excited to try this soup out tonight!!
subhasmita says
I would stick to chicken or vegetable stock. Beef stock might be overpowering. But, if that’s what you have in hand, then use half beef stock and half water. Let me know how it comes 🙂
Lisa Miller says
Made this tonight for dinner and served it with a green salad and a homemade dinner roll. I used 28 oz of San Marzano whole tomatoes, and they fell apart while cooking, which was perfect. I simmered everything for about 30 minutes before adding the orzo, simmered for 10 more, then added the half and half and spinach and shut the heat off. It was delicious - we will definitely enjoy this one again!
Debbie says
Soup was delicious! My picky daughter even enjoyed it . Wonderful! Will definitely make again this fall.
subhasmita says
Thank you for trying. So happy the little one enjoyed, as it is always tricky to please the little ones.
Victoria says
Hi there,
This recipe looks amazing!! If my family doesn't like spinach can I use Kale instead or just leave it out all together? What would you suggest? Thanks a bunch!!!
subhasmita says
Kale would be a great substitute or else you can skip adding any greens. Would love to know if you made it. Thanks.
Frauke says
Sorry for my ignorance-but what is half and half?
subhasmita says
Hi Frauke, 'Half & Half' is a packaged product consisting of 1/2 cream and 1/2 milk. It's available in stores under multiple brands. Thanks for reading.
Rosana says
What kind of tomatoes are used?
Also I would like to know how much is a serving,(oz. /grams)
subhasmita says
Hi Rosana,
The serving size is 200 gms or 7 oz. To the first question, I have used Crushed Tomatoes.
Laura says
This recipe was wonderful! My husband isn't a huge soup/ stew person, but he loved it, so we will definitely be making it again. It was super easy and delicious! I didn't have half and half, so I just used some milk instead and it still tasted great. I also didn't have that much parmesan cheese left, so I just sprinkled a little on top of the soup before serving it. Thanks for the great recipe!
subhasmita says
Yay! Glad your family liked it. My husband became a convert too after serving him a few 😋 soups.
Kim in East TN says
This has become the most requested recipe at my house. (I split the tomatoes - equal amounts of crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce.) I've made it several times now and will be teaching my 12 year old son how to make it today. He loves it so much he is now inspired to learn how to cook. Thank you!
Amie says
This was cooking on the stove when my hubby came home and he commented that it smelled good. It ended up being really tasty and will be a keeper in our rotation! Thank you!
Christina says
Thank you. Just made for my sister and friend who are on the mend and it’s lovely. One question. The park.... I didn’t stir it in worried might make the soup overly salty... is it meant for a garnish?
Carolyn says
This soup is amazing! One of the best recipes I’ve made on Pinterest!! Thank you for sharing!
Wendy Choser Sargent says
Best rated from family! Was a huge hit! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Gaby says
Great recipe. Super flavorful and my family’s new go to meal
subhasmita says
Thank you 🙂 Glad you liked it.
Kari says
Thanks for the recipe, it was delicious! I also added some cabbage, chopped green beans and leftover bits of bacon.
I'll definitely make it again in other variations too.
Kelsey says
If using crockpot, leave out the orzo until you add the spinach, cream and cheese. If you add it at the beginning like the instructions say, it will blow up like a balloon and be mushy.
Marzette says
This soup is wonderful. Made it for the first time I used hot sausage. It was a hot with my family. Adding it to our soup rotation. Thanks for a yummy recipe
Jen says
How much salt and pepper do you add?
subhasmita says
It's little difficult to tell. Amount of salt and pepper depends on your personal preferences. The sausage and stock already has salt in it. The amount of salt depends on the stock you use too. Because I use homemade stock,it's less salty. So I add about 1/2- 1 teaspoon of salt.
UKpia says
Definitely very little salt needed. Lovely recipe, I added a handful of broad beans for extra ‘body’. My only problem - the orzo kept floating down and sticking to the bottom of the pan, so I had to keep stirring all the time. Will cook orzo separately next time.
Sondra says
This sounds amazing. Do you think it could be made in the instant pot?
subhasmita says
Instant Pot will definitely work. As I have not tried cooking Orzo I can not tell you exact timing or the amount of stock you would need for it. Would love to know if you tried in the Instant Pot.
Kari says
I just made it in the instant pot. I did high pressure for 15 minutes. Then added the cream, orzo, and spinach and did high pressure for 4 more minutes and it was perfect. This is probably my new favorite soup!
Sondra says
This sounds amazing. Do you think I could make it in the instant pot?
Dee says
Fresh or frozen spinach?
subhasmita says
Either would work.
Maegan says
The recipe says tomato, I only have a can of diced tomato and a can of tomato sauce. Which one would you suggest?
subhasmita says
Diced tomato.
Jen says
Do you think this would turn out OK with a different kind of pasta like shells or farfalle, if the cooking time is adjusted?
subhasmita says
It should work with any kind of pasta. You might have to adjust the amount of stock and cooking time. I would prefer shells or any other small sized pasta though.
Barb says
This is in the strove and house smells amazing
Can’t wait to try it
Jane says
Really great soup! So much flavor! We loved it!
subhasmita says
Thank you for trying. Glad that you liked the soup.
Sherri says
It says 28 oz Tomato. Crushed, whole? Tomato soup?
subhasmita says
Crushed Tomatoes.