You are going to love this One Pan Creamy Sausage & Spinach Orzo! Ready in just 25 minutes, it's an ideal choice for those busy weeknights!
When it’s a hectic evening with clubs, homework, or just one of those days, I always turn to a one-pan meal—less mess, less washing up, and dinner on the table in no time.
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That’s why this one pan creamy sausage & spinach orzo is a surefire hit in our house. One pan, not a lot of effort needed, and ready in under 30 minutes—what’s not to love?
Need to make it allergy-friendly? No problem! Check out the ‘How Can I Make This Allergy-Friendly?’ section below where I show you simple swaps and alternatives.
Love orzo? You might also like my Chicken & Pesto Orzo or Feta Summer Orzo Salad!
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🥘 Ingredients You Will Need
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients you will need to make this sausage & spinach orzo. To find out how to make it allergy-friendly, simply scroll down to the section below this one.
✋ Double check all packaging for allergens ✋
- Orzo - This is a small, rice shaped pasta that is perfect for one-pan dishes like this, as well as soups and salads.
- Sausages - Sausage meat is usually only found in the supermarket around Christmas time, so have used pork sausages and skinned them to make the small sausage meatballs.
- Spinach - Use fresh spinach for best results. If you use frozen spinach, let it thaw first and squeeze out any excess moisture before adding it to the pot.
- Aromatics - Onion & garlic - I like using the large cloves.
- Red Pepper - This is diced into small squares and adds a nice crunch to the dish.
- Chicken Stock - The orzo cooks in the stock. Using stock instead of water adds more flavour to the pasta.
- Double Cream - This is stirred through the orzo at the end of cooking to make it richer and creamier! Single cream won’t work, as it's too thin, so be sure to use double.
- Parmesan - Adds even more richness and a cheesy flavour to the orzo.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🥜 How Can I Make This Dish Allergy Friendly?
- ✔️ Make It Dairy-Free: Swap the double cream & parmesan for dairy free versions and check that your stock cube is dairy-free.
- ✔️ Make It Gluten-Free: Tesco now stock a gluten-free orzo, so use this instead and make sure your stock cube is gluten-free. Kallo organic chicken stock cubes are top 14 free!
- ✔️ Make It Sulphite Free: Many sausages contain sulphites, so double-check the packaging. Finnebrogue Naked Pork Sausages which you can buy in most major UK supermarkets are sulphite-free.
⚡ Variations / Substitutions
- Sausages: Instead of pork sausage you can use chicken sausages or even veggie sausages to make it vegetarian. A popular sausage choice in the US is Italian sausage which is a pork sausage seasoned with herbs.
- Veggies: Swap out the spinach and red pepper or boost your veg intake by adding extra vegetables like sweetcorn , kale, peas or mushroom.
- Stock: You can switch out half the stock for white wine for a rich flavour or use vegetable stock instead.
✏️ How to Make Sausage & Spinach Pesto
⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️
Step 1: Start by removing the sausage skins with a knife and rolling the meat into small, bite-sized balls.
Step 2: Heat a large pan over a medium-high heat, add a little olive oil, then pop in the sausage balls.
Fry for 4-5 minutes, turning them until they’re nicely browned all over.
Step 3: While the sausages are cooking, chop the onion & garlic finely & the red pepper into small squares.
Step 4: Turn the heat down to medium, add the onion and red pepper to the pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly until the onion softens.
Step 5: Stir in the garlic and orzo, letting it cook for another minute to bring out the flavours.
Step 6: Pour in the stock, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly until the orzo has absorbed the liquid and is cooked through.
If the pan looks dry, add a splash more liquid.
Step 7: Take the pan off the heat, stir in the spinach until wilted, then mix in the parmesan, double cream, and a bit of salt and pepper to taste.
Give it a final stir, and it’s ready to serve!
💡 Lauren's Tips
- ✔️Brown The Sausage Balls: Let them sit for a minute before turning so they get a nice golden crust. This helps to lock in the moisture & adds extra flavour.
- ✔️Stir The Orzo Regularly – Orzo can stick to the bottom of the pan, so keep giving it a good stir while it simmers. If it starts looking too dry before it's cooked, just add a splash more stock or water.
- ✔️Swap Out Ingredients To Suit Your Taste: Not a fan of spinach? Try kale or peas instead. Want it dairy-free? Leave out the parmesan and cream, or swap for a dairy-free alternative.
- ✔️Let It Sit For A Minute Before Serving: This helps the sauce thicken slightly and makes it even more delicious!
🥡 Storage / Reheating / Freezing
If you can I would advise eating this dish soon after cooking, as orzo absorbs liquid as it sits, so it thickens up a bit and can become a little dense.
However, once cooled, it’s perfectly safe to store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can either reheat the pasta in the microwave or on the hob in a pan, stirring regularly until piping hot. It’s great for lunch the next day.
TIP: Add a bit of extra stock or water when reheating. This will help to bring it back to a creamy consistency without the stodginess!
💬 Recipe FAQs
You can swap orzo for another small pasta like macaroni, but you may need to adjust the liquid and cooking time slightly.
Make sure to stir it regularly while it’s cooking, and if it looks like it’s drying out before it’s fully cooked, just add a splash more stock or water.
It’s a main meal in its own right, but a nice, crisp green salad is always good with pasta & you can’t go wrong with garlic bread either.
⚡ Other Pasta Recipes
If you loved this recipe, please leave me a 5🌟 rating or comment below. I really do appreciate it. 😊
📖 Recipe
One Pan Creamy Sausage and Spinach Orzo
Ingredients
- 300 g (10.5 oz) orzo can substitute for GF orzo
- 6 sausages (approx 400g) skinned and rolled into small balls
- 2 big handfuls spinach
- ½ medium onion finely chopped
- 1 medium red pepper chopped into small squares
- 4 cloves garlic crushed or finely chopped
- 700 ml (3 cups ) chicken stock
- 100 ml ( ½ cup) double cream can substitute for DF cream
- 20 g (⅛ cup ) parmesan can substitute for DF cheese
Instructions
- Skin the sausages with a knife and roll the sausage meat into small bite-sized balls.
- Add the olive oil to a large pan on a medium-high heat, add the sausage balls and fry for 4-5 minutes, turning until all sides are browned.
- Whilst the sausages are cooking, chop the onion, red pepper and garlic.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and red pepper & cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly until the onion has softened.
- Stir in the garlic and orzo and cook for a further minute.
- Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly until the liquid has absorbed and the orzo is cooked. (Add some more liquid if the pan goes dry)
- Remove from the heat, add the spinach and stir until wilted, before adding the parmesan, double cream and salt and pepper to season. Give it one last stir before serving.
Lauren Woodger says
My family love this recipe!