This is by far one of my favorite dinners ever. Orzo pasta and sausage, so simple but soooo good. You can always dress it up and make it more fancy, but I'm usually too impatient for that. I made mini sausage meatballs as a variation on this recipe for a friend's baby shower and they were a big hit. I've always wanted to try freezing leftovers to see how they would do defrosting, but there are never any leftovers. I'm also thinking about attempting a crock pot version, but the original is just so darn easy a crock pot almost defeats the purpose.
Orzo Pasta with Sausage
1 box Orzo Pasta
4 qt Chicken Broth
Sausage
2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp dried Basil
2 Tbsp dried Parsley
Salt and Pepper
Romano Cheese
(For optional add ins and upgrades see Notes below)
Cook pasta according to package directions, but use chicken broth instead of water, or add chicken bullion to your cooking water. Cook the sausage, keeping the chunks relatively the same size. Drain the sausage of extra grease. When the pasta has finished cooking, set aside a cup or two of the liquid and drain the pasta. Return pasta to the pot and add the sausage. Mix together while adding a couple Tbsp of olive oil. Add more oil and/or leftover cooking liquid until you feel the pasta has been coated enough and does not look too dry (this is all the 'sauce' your getting so don't skimp). Season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve with freshly grated cheese.
Notes:
- There are lots of things you could do to make this dish fancier--
- Swap sautéed onions and garlic for the dried powder
- Use fresh basil, parsley or rosemary instead of the dried stuff
- Add chopped sun dried tomatoes or a few red pepper flakes for some heat
- Try garlic or rosemary olive oil instead of regular oil
- Make the sausage into meatballs before cooking
- Use chicken broth or chicken bullion instead of water to cook the pasta. If you use bullion make sure to taste before adding any extra salt.