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This simple One Pot Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo is about to be a new weeknight staple. Quick, easy, and so delicious! Pan-seared Italian chicken sausage, cooked with herbs, flavorful sun-dried tomatoes, fresh zucchini, spinach, plus orzo pasta. It’s a fast dinner made in one pot with incredible flavor! The family will all enjoy this fresh take on a creamy pasta dish.
It’s a fun time of year for cooking. I see September as a transitional month into fall. The weather is still warm (it’s been 80 here in New York), but the days are shortening and there is a crispness in the air. The humidity that most of you get starts to dissipate, and everyone begins to get ready to embrace fall.
Or at least this is how I feel, tell me if I’m wrong though!
It’s also a fun time for cooking because we still have all the produce of summer, in fact so much of it is in peak season! I’m having fun creating warmer, cozy recipes, but using lots of produce. And of course, all the fresh basil that we’ve been growing.
I’ve strolled the markets here in New York and it’s apparent that there is a lot of zucchini happening. I also love seeing all the fresh florals. There are so many autumn colors throughout the city right now.
I love it.
Here are the details
As you might guess, this recipe is pretty straightforward and simple.
Start with a nice big high-sided skillet and add in spicy Italian sausage. I always prefer to use chicken sausage, which I buy from the Whole Foods meat counter. They’ll make it fresh for you. If chicken sausage is not available for you, you can easily make your own. Simply add 2-3 tablespoons of Italian seasoning to ground chicken.
Or just use pork sausage, it’s just as yummy, only a little greasier.
Add all the usuals – shallots, garlic, some oregano, and thyme. For the herbs, I used fresh herbs. But I also gave measurements for dry herbs since I know many of you appreciate that.
Pour some broth into the skillet, then dijon, the orzo, and shredded zucchini. I like to use zucchini for added vegetables and creaminess. It melts down into the sauce wonderfully. It’s my secret to creamy pasta!
Finish with milk, I use goat milk, but canned coconut milk is really nice and creamy.
Then add Parmesan and fresh basil to really make this dish delish.
Super simple yet so much flavor.
This will be great for serving to family on busy nights. I love how easily it comes together. Oh, and the leftovers reheat well and are delicious the following day for lunch or dinner.
I haven’t had a chance to serve this to Creighton just yet, but I know he’ll love it. Anything with some spicy Italian sausage makes his day!
Looks like I’ll be making this yet again!
Looking for other simple dinners? Here are my favorites:
One Pot French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
Creamy Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta
One Pan Corn and Zucchini Pesto Orzo Casserole
Lastly, if you make this One Pot Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 630 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound ground spicy Italian chicken sausage
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 pound dry orzo pasta
- 2 small zucchini, shredded
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk or heavy cream
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- fresh basil
Instructions
- 1. In a large skillet set over medium heat, brown the chicken sausage over medium heat, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, oregano, and thyme, and cook until fragrant, 3 minutes. Mix in the sun-dried tomatoes and cook another 2 minutes. 2. Pour in the broth. Add the dijon, then bring to a boil. Add the orzo and zucchini and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, 6 minutes. Mix in the spinach, pour in the milk, and sprinkle over the parmesan. 3. Stir until creamy, then remove from the heat. Serve topped with fresh basil. Enjoy!
Would this recipe work as a veggie side dish? Like if we left out meat entirely? Or does it need the meat for that extra kick?
Hey Caitlin,
You can definitely leave the meat out:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I have made a bunch of your recipes and they have never failed me! Even purchased Half Baked Harvest Everday.
Love this recipe and my hubby who is not a zucchini lover, never noticed and raves about how good this is!
Thank you Tieghan! Keep your creative juices flowing.
Hey Jan,
Thanks for trying so many recipes, I love to hear that they are always enjoyed:) Lol so glad to hear your husband enjoyed this dish! xTieghan
Ohmygosh, I messed this recipe up every which way but Sunday, but it was STILL amazing!
I guess I threw away my grater in the move to this house so I diced/minced the zucchini. Our little grocery store “don’t have no chicken/turkey sausage.” Sausage down here, whether breakfast or Italian, is PORK – Period! I also thought I had orzo pasta. Used elbow macaroni instead. Shockingly, no dijon mustard in the ‘fridge, so I had to succumb to yellow mustard. Also, used shredded parmesan rather than grated.
But guess what – it was still absolutely AMAZING! I cannot wait to try it again, the correct way. Meanwhile we’ll enjoy our leftovers, just the same.
Thanks again, Tieghan!!
Hi there,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! Lol thanks for sharing what worked well for you, I’m glad it turned out okay! xx
Made this for my family and they loved it! My little one was acting like it was her prized possession. So many wonderful flavors and so easy to throw together. I used ground turkey sausage and seasoned it to add an Italian flavor.
Hi Kayla,
I am so glad to hear that this recipe was tasty for you and appreciate you giving it a try! xxT
So delicious! This will be one I make again and again. It also reheated fabulously. The whole family gobbled it up. I used turkey sausage (that I seasoned myself) and vegetable broth instead of chicken. So yummy!
Hi Sabrina,
I am so glad to hear that this recipe was tasty for you and appreciate you giving it a try! xxT
For the fresh herbs are the measurements the same as the dried herbs?
Hi Tricia,
Definitely not:) For every 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, you would want to use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Used 3 pork sausages (removed from casings) because that’s what I had in my freezer, but this was a fabulous Sunday night dinner. Cleaned out the fridge and lots of leftovers for the week. I love how many veggies are in this recipe but it tastes like Mac n cheese 🙂
Hey Sabrina,
Awesome!! So glad you were able to use what you had on hand for this dish! Thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Made this for dinner but prefer vegetarian – subbed the sausage for an assortment of mushrooms and veggie stock instead of chicken stock. Soooooo good!
Hey Hannah,
Such a great idea to use mushrooms in place of the sausage, thanks for making this recipe!! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight and used penne instead of orzo (my grocery store was out)! It was delicious!!
Hi Elizabeth,
Perfect!! So glad the penne worked well for you, thanks so much for trying this recipe out! xTieghan
This was tasty. I used mild chicken sausage and took the casing off to get ground sausage. I didn’t like the idea of boiling the meat and veggies with the pasta so I sauteed the sausage, herbs and all the veggies except spinach. I removed them from the pan into a bowl, added the broth and mustard and scraped up the bits as it was coming to a boil. Added the orzo then when it was ready and the liquid reduced, I added back the meat and veggies, then spinach, milk and parmesan. I will try it with penne or corkscrews next time but it was tasty. Thanks!
Hey Patricia,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for making this dish and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xx
Looking forwards to making this tonight! Question: is the chicken sausage sliced or ground up? Not clear in photo and the term “ground chicken sausage” makes me wonder. If it’s ground-up sausage, isn’t that just ground chicken with herbs?
Hey Sandra,
For this recipe, I used ground chicken sausage:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
So yummy! Love a delicious one pot recipe. Will definitely make again!
Hi Lauren,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was tasty, thanks a lot for making it! xxT
Made this tonight! Super good and came together easily. I forgot to buy cheese but went ahead and made it anyways (hoping it would save me some calories) and it was still great (just added some salt to taste). Thanks for the recipe!!!
Hi Cari,
Perfect! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it! xTieghan
I appreciate recipes that disguise veggies for those picky eaters in the family! I used Impossible spicy sausage and it worked great. Really easy and hearty–however, it did need more seasoning. Adding some salt&pep and more parmesan is always a good bet 😉 Thanks for the winning recipe!!
Hi Kat,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
Really good and makes a ton! Substituted chopped asparagus for the spinach cuz the hubs won’t eat spinach!
Hi Kristen,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was enjoyed! xx