You LOVE EASY 30 minutes dinners, right? This Smoked Sausage and Cheesy Orzo is so simple that you can whip it up in a few minutes after you arrive home from work AND you can make it nearly entirely in one dish as long as you have the orzo cooked ahead of time!
Creamy and cheesy and OH SO comforting, this cheesy orzo is wonderful in so many ways. Besides, it is AFFORDABLE too!!
Especially coming into the fall months. You need meals that are hot, delicious, creamy simple and ready in minutes. Creamy Smoked Sausage and Cheesy Orzo is for you!
WHAT IS Cheesy ORZO?
Orzo is a type of pasta that is shaped roughly like a grain of rice. The biggest consideration when cooking orzo is that it cooks much more quickly than a larger noodle like a ziti, spaghetti or rollatini.
HOW DO YOU MAKE Creamy ORZO?
You might be asking yourself, just how do you make orzo anyway? It is SIMPLE! It sounds hard but is actually simple.
Orzo is just a tiny pasta and I know, it looks like a rice, but it is a pasta. All you do is boil it like you would ANY OTHER PASTA!
Have you ever made macaroni noodles? How about spaghetti noodles? It is that simple! Just follow the package instructions - simple!
HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU USE TO COOK Cheesy ORZO?
Is orzo like rice, do you have to be SO CAREFUL with how much water to put in? The answer is no. You want to follow the package instructions.
Please give it enough water so that it can freely fly around in there, dance, swim, do the back stroke or whatever it is that pasta needs to do in the water but just use enough, and you will be fine. The water is poured off anyway!
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COOK Creamy ORZO PASTA?
Like most other pasta's you will find it ready in about 10 minutes or less. The package will tell you exactly.
If you aren't sure and you threw your package away, just like a spaghetti noodle, dip some out, blow on it until it is cool and then taste it.
The Orzo is done when it is no longer crunchy but still has a little spring to it when you bite into it.
It might also taste good with...
Although I made this dish with orzo, I think it would be equally as tasty with rice or even with some other form of pasta (orzo is just a tiny pasta). You could use your left-over rice from some previous dinner even. SHhhh….. I won’t tell anyone!
As an aside, you could also add some other veggies and I can hardly think of any veggie that wouldn’t be good with this dish. I might try some carrots, cauliflower, peas or even green beans in the future. I used cheddar but a Mexican blend would be good too. Just adjust to your tastes!
If you enjoy this recipe, you might also enjoy:
SERIOUSLY GOOD ASTERISK CHICKEN
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR Creamy ORZO
- Cook the broccoli in the pasta water while the pasta is cooking.
- Feel free to add a few more veggies to this dish for added flavor!
- The type of cheese makes all the difference! Use a good sharp cheese for the best flavor!
- Top with Parmesan for added flavor!
- Save a cup of the cooking water and add to the finished dish by 1 Tbs at a time for a more Creamy creamy orzo.
The Recipe for Creamy Orzo
Smoked Sausage and Cheesy Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups uncooked Orzo about 3 cups if already cooked
- 2 tbs vegetable or olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ green bell pepper
- 1 cup bite sized broccoli florets
- 1 package of Smoked Sausage about 16 oz, typically
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large sauce pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and cook the orzo per the package instructions. Don’t forget to salt the water. If you want to do something unconventional and be like me, drop the broccoli florets into the boiling pasta water for about 3 minutes while the pasta is cooking. This precooks the broccoli to just the right softness for the dish – and then you don’t have to wait for them to cook in the frying pan later. Dip them out with a slotted spoon when they turn bright green and set them aside.
- While the pasta and broccoli are cooking, dice up the onion, bell pepper and mince the garlic. Cut the sausage into disks – about ½ inch thick. Heat a large skillet with the oil on medium heat on the stove top. When the oil is hot, add the onion and bell pepper and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and the sausage. While this cooks, the orzo should be about ready. Drain the orzo per package instructions and set aside until the sausage is browned.
- When the sausage is browned, add the orzo and the pre-cooked broccoli to the skilled and cut the heat to medium low. Add the cheese and the milk. Salt and pepper to taste. You can then serve from the frying pan or turn out into a baking dish to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
A VERSE TO SHARE
Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. ~ Jeremiah 17:14
Tara says
I haven't even served my family yet and I had to comment already! Sooooo good. There might not be any left by the time I call them for supper! This is superb. Love an easy meal that tastes awesome! I used a jalapeño Cheddar for extra zing but I know it would be amazing with regular Cheddar, too. Thank you! This recipe made me subscribe!
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Tara,
I see that my response I typed in on my phone never made it here to the actual comments! Sheesh - technology! Thank you so much for the terrific comment! I LOVE your idea of jalapeno cheddar! So excited that I get to give you the "I made it" cutting board on your comment too!! Thanks for visiting and come back soon!
Janice says
Thank you for such a lovely recipe. This was so tasty and so easy to make!! This is definitely going in our monthly recipe rotation. I added a wee bit of dried mustard powder and hot sauce to the orzo & cheese mixture but otherwise followed the recipe pretty faithfully. Next time I am going to triple the broccoli (since my children will eat it without complaint) I really loved this meal.
Wendi Spraker says
Janice - you have SERIOUSLY made my day. Thank you. I'm so glad that you enjoyed this recipe! I would be so grateful if you would share this recipe with others - in person or on social media. I always need new friends. 🙂
Marcia says
I made this tonight. Easy to make after coming home from work. It was yum?
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Marcia! I'm so glad you came by! Thanks for letting me know how this turned out for you! Please stop by again really soon!
Brianne says
I made this tonight with a few adjustments. I skipped the green bell pepper and used peas instead of broccoli since that's what I had on hand. I also used linguica. My boyfriend usually doesn't like a lot of cheese in dishes, but I do, so I added it anyways. He had 3 bowls (yikes!) and loved it, despite the cheese! I loved it as well. Great for a quick meal. Easy and delicious. He was also so surprised that I was finished cooking it so quickly. Great for a busy weeknight.
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Brianna! Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out! I LOVE hearing from my readers! So glad that you both enjoyed it and that your substitutions worked out ok! I hope you will come back and visit me soon! Let's stay in touch! 🙂
Elizabeth says
My whole family really enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for a such a yummy, versatile, quick recipe. This is a perfect way to use up small pastas, various cheeses in the fridge, and veggies. Perfect!
Carolyn Tipton says
I made this tonight. The only variation I did was to leave out the green pepper - the one ingredient I didn't have on hand. We loved it and my hubby went back for seconds. I served it with Jiffy Cornbread. Will definitely be making again! Thanks so much for sharing.
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Carolyn!! Thank you so much for letting me know! You are welcome! I'm glad it worked for you. I think it's fine to leave off the green pepper. I only added it because that is what we had from the garden! Lol. Take care and have an awesome weekend!
Lamb says
And this is how I’m making it this evening since I’ve already made corn bread! Also, I’m using moose sausage...might add a little chipotle to smoke it, or smoked paprika...or liquid smoke. :). I’m stoked to do something that, base upon reviews, is a hit - a simple hit!
Thank you!
Wendi Spraker says
Lol! GREAT! I'm glad you will make it your own! I hope you love it.
Stephanie says
I loved this recipe. It was quick and easy. As a working mom with a toddler, I was able to get it done in less than 30 minutes, so that was a huge plus. After I measured 1 1/2 cups of orzo, I had just a little left in the box so I dumped the rest in. Little did I know I would have enough for a family of 12. There are 3 of us so we will be having leftovers. It passed the "husband-went-back-for-seconds" test! He says he likes it better than the jambalaya I make. My 2-year old loved it also. He liked the "hotdogs" the best but did eat some of the broccoli...I call it a WIN! Thanks so much for sharing this, it is definitely going in my recipe book so I can remember to make it often!
Wendi Spraker says
Stephanie - you have MADE my day!! Thank you for stopping back by to tell me!! I'm so glad it worked for you. Life gets hard with kids /dinner/ life/ family there's no reason that a reasonably healthy and quick meal shouldn't give you a little relief. Bless you my dear. Keep on keeping on. !!
Kristi says
Just tried this with a few modifications because I didn't have time for a grocery run & had to make do with what I had on hand. Despite the changes, it came out delicious!
I substituted quinoa for the rice, an orange bell pepper for the green, and crema with a little water mixed in for the milk. It was creamy and delicious. Would definitely make it again.
Wendi Spraker says
Hey there Kristi!! Glad to know you enjoyed it even with the modifications! Sometimes we just have to go with what we've got! Sounds delish the way you made it. Make it your own! Great job!
Lynn says
Well, I didn't have any broccoli on hand, so I improvised. I left out the onion and pepper, added a bag of frozen Latino blend (corn, black beans, onion and pepper) and a bag of frozen spinach. I used a mix of Gouda cheese and Mexican blend cheese, and 1 cup of milk. Since I didn't have smoked sausage on hand, I used a pack of cooked chicken sausage from Costco. It turned out so yummy! Even my picky 13 month old couldn't stop eating it! Thank you so much for sharing...it's one of those recipes that's easy to substitute with items on hand.
Wendi Spraker says
Lynn - your recipe sounds delicious. Glad it worked out!!
suzmamma says
Yummy! Thank you! Can leftoves be frozen?
Wendi Spraker says
I haven't tried freezing leftovers because I haven't had any but I don't know why it wouldn't work! Please let me know how it turns out!!
Heather W says
Found this recipe on Pinterest. Made this with a broccoli and cauliflower mix and it tasted great! Thanks for the recipe!
Wendi Spraker says
Hey there Heather! That's great! Glad you liked it!!!
Christy Creswell says
luv
Wendi Spraker says
Thank you Christy!!! Thanks for trying!!
Christy Creswell says
Can the broccoli be frozen or does it need to be fresh?
Wendi Spraker says
Christy- I haven't used frozen myself, but I'm sure it would work just fine. :). Let me know how it turns out and thank you so much for asking!
Faith says
Made this recipe tonight. Pretty easy and yummy. I did add a whole box of orzo and ended up adding about 2 cups of cheddar and probably 1 cup of milk to make it creamy. Also I added about 1/4 - 1/2 of grated parm cheese because it needed a bit more flavor. Didn't care for the green peppers in it. Overall will probably make it again since my son inhaled it after football practice with no complaints lol. Usually a good sign. Thanks for the recipe. Always looking for ways to use Polska kielbasa or smoked sausage because it's a fave in our house.
Wendi Spraker says
Faith, sounds like a success to me! Thanks for letting me know. We love Polska Kielbasa too! Best wishes to the hungry son and his football playing!
jennifer says
I think next time I'll remove the peppers too. I usually LOVE bell peppers but I feel they didn't really ft. I am going to try adding some variety of cheese and some seasonings to add some more flavor. Anyone have any seasoning suggestions for next week?!
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Jennifer! I think you should doctor it up any way you see fit and according to what your family enjoys!
Erika says
How much sausage did you use? I don't see it on the ingredients list.
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Erika - thank you so much for asking! It is the typically sized package that you will find at your grocery store - the brands I see here are Eckridge and Hillshire Farms. The one I have in my freezer is 16 oz - so - a package of about that much should be just right. I updated the recipe. Thank you!