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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!
All your recipes are winners, but this one is in my top three for sure! I absolutely LOVED this! It was so rich and decadent without being heavy. Loved the zucchini and spinach in there for a nice veggie boost. I cannot wait to have leftovers.
Hey Rachel,
Wonderful!!🎅 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and your comment! xT
So delicious and easy!
Hey Isabelle,
Happy Monday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Thanks for your comment! xT
This was fantastic! Not salty at all. I used coconut milk which gave it a great flavor. I cubed the zucchini so the texture was perfect. I’ll be making this again! Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
Hey Lori,
Wonderful!!❄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a winner:)
Would this freeze well? I’m meal prepping for when my baby is born and this is one of my favorites so I’m wondering how it would hold up in the freezer?
Hey Renee,
So sorry, I don’t think this would be the best option to freeze. You can find my freezer friendly section here:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/category/recipes/type-of-meal/freezer-friendly/
Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this helps! xx
Pretty good, but a bit too salty and not enough texture.
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
This is probably my favorite meal. It’s so delicious right off the range and the leftovers are just as good. What would you pair this with? I’d love to host friends for dinner but don’t want to serve only this. Thanks for another yummy recipe Tieghan!
Hey Lindsey,
Happy Sunday!!⛄️ I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! I would do a salad and crusty bread:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/kale-bacon-salad/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/cheaters-no-knead-dutch-oven-sourdough-bread/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xxT
This recipe was delicious. I actually have enjoyed everything I’ve made. Thank you for the great, easy, gourmet meals!
Hey Tricia,
Happy Friday!!❄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xx
This was awesome! It’s basically an orzo risotto. The flavors are amazing and zucchini+sundried tomato was an awesome combo.
We made it vegetarian by omitting the meat part entirely and I added paprika and fennel seeds to give it that “Italian sausage” flavor. I opted to cut my zucchini small instead of shredding because it is less work and I prefer the texture. Also I used DeCecco orzo which is really different than regular orzo (it’s all they had at the store!), and it cooks a lot more like arborio rice. I needed more like 13 minutes to cook it through.
Loved it!!!
Hey there,
I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was enjoyed! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you!❄️ xx
So not sure what I may of done wrong, followed the recipe exactly, but mine turned out very salty and the orzo took much longer to cook then the recipe calls for. If it wasn’t so salty I definitely would give it 5 stars.
Lory – since there is no added salt to the recipe, I would try using a different broth next time (I used Swanson’s Veggie Broth and it was fine), or maybe a different brand of parmesan cheese. I used a brand that came in a plastic tub “fresh grated”. Cooking time will depend on the brand/type/grain used in the orzo. I had to cook mine twice as long before it got edible. I needed to add some extra water in as I went since the longer time evaporated a lot of the liquid.
Hey Lory,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry about the salt, was there anything you may have adjusted? Maybe it was the sun-dried tomatoes? Sorry let me know how I can help! xT
So i did curbside for my groceries for this one and they ended up accidentally giving me “chipotle sun dried tomatoes” that had a saucy consistency and I didn’t realize until I was cooking! I went with it and hoped it tasted just as good and it actually turned out SO good, just with a very different flavor! May be worth a try 😉 but can’t wait to try it with normal sun dried tomatoes too!!
Hey Jessica,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out tasty for you! xT
Just had my first bite and couldn’t wait until I finished to write the review!! We used coconut milk and regular sausage. SOO good!!!
Hey Leslie,
Awesome!! 🍂 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xx
Wonderfully good recipe used half and half, with milk instead of heavy cream and it worked. Thanks
Hey there,
Happy Sunday!! I truly appreciate you giving this a try and sharing your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed:) xx
YUM! This one was one of the best i’ve made from your amazing collection of recipes! Can’t wait to make this for friends. 12/10 recipe. Thank you for sharing!!
Hey Becca,
Happy Friday!!🌻 I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it and sharing your review:) xT
This was so good and so simple to make!! My entire family loved it and what a great way to sneak in some veggies. My daughter was unable to pick out the zucchini.
10/10! Super delicious and super easy !
Hey Elizabeth,
Happy Friday!!🌻 I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it and sharing your review:) xT
Hey Dana,
Happy Friday!!🌻 I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it and sharing your review:) xT
We made this because it looked so simple and so good.
Ours turned out soupier than the photos suggest. My suggestion is to squeeze the water from the shredded zucchini before adding it to the pot. This would probably also intensify the flavors. Regardless, it was very good, and is a definite “make again”.
Hey Debra,
Fantastic!! I love that this recipe turned out tasty for you, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx