Creamy Tuscan Orzo with Spicy Italian Sausage & Pesto Toasts

2 SERVINGS

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
Creamy Tuscan Orzo with Spicy Italian Sausage

fresh ingredients

IN THE KIT

  • links
    spicy Italian sausage
  • 1 oz
    garlic/shallot/butter blend
  • 6 oz
    orzo
  • 4 oz
    spinach
  • 2 oz
    sun dried tomatoes
  • 1 oz
    Italian house blend
  • 6 oz
    chicken stock/base blend
  • 2 oz
    fresh basil
  • 4 oz
    parmesan cheese
  • 2 oz
    pesto
  • 1 oz
    lemon juice/Dijon mustard
  • 3 oz
    heavy cream
  • 2 oz
    baguette

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.

1Prepare Base

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. 

2Prepare Orzo

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.

3Prepare Toasts

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. 

4Finish the Dish

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.

5 To Serve

Divide orzo in two bowls, top with remaining cheese & basil, serve with toasts.