Creamy Tuscan Orzo with Spicy Italian Sausage & Pesto Toasts
This one pot wonder is packed with flavour & makes for an elegant, comforting dish for any night of the week. Spicy sausage, garlic, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, butter, cream, orzo, basil…Served with delicious pesto toasts. YUM!
Nutrition | PER SERVING |
---|---|
Calories | 770 |
Fat | 17.0 g |
Protein | 36.0 g |
Carbohydrate | 66.0 g |
Sodium | 776 mg |
fresh ingredients
IN THE KIT
-
linksspicy Italian sausage
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1 ozgarlic/shallot/butter blend
-
6 ozorzo
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4 ozspinach
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2 ozsun dried tomatoes
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1 ozItalian house blend
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6 ozchicken stock/base blend
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2 ozfresh basil
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4 ozparmesan cheese
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2 ozpesto
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1 ozlemon juice/Dijon mustard
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3 ozheavy cream
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2 ozbaguette
Not Included
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
Kitchen Items Needed
Medium pot
Baking sheet
Small bowl
cook along
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
Preheat oven to 350ºF;
Slice baguette into thin toasts;
Roughly chop spinach;
Roughly chop sun dried tomatoes, saving any oil;
Remove from stems & roughly chop leaves;
Remove sausage from casing, crumble into small bowl.
Add garlic/shallot/butter blend to the pot over medium high heat. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add crumble sausage, continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove any excess fat.
Add Italian seasoning, sun dried tomatoes, lemon juice/Dijon blend & orzo. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often to infuse the orzo with the flavours.
Add the chicken stock/base & cream. Once it starts to bubble, continue cooking for 10 minutes (uncovered), stirring fairly often, turning the heat down to medium low for steady bubble.
In the meantime, spread pesto on one side of baguette slice. Top with a sprinkle of cheese if you wish. Place on sheet pan and toast for 3-5 minutes, watching carefully that it doesn’t burn.
Check if orzo is cooked; should be a little firm to the bite. Take the pot off the heat, and stir in ½ parmesan, all spinach, and ½ basil. Cover the pot for a few minutes until it has thickened up to your liking. The orzo will absorb the liquid quickly, so if it still seems like there's too much liquid, just wait a little bit longer. Season with salt & pepper as needed.
Divide orzo in two bowls, top with remaining cheese & basil, serve with toasts.