One-Pan Sausage and Peppers with Orzo

Busy weeknights call for easy and delicious dinners like my One-Pan Sausage and Peppers with Orzo. The classic combo of sausage, peppers, onions, plus a hint of tomato combined with orzo and finished with fresh basil, makes this dish one you’ll make on repeat.

Another one-pan hit

I love creating recipes for my readers, and lately I’ve been getting lots of requests for more one-pan dinners. So I took one of my favorite dishes, classic sausage and peppers, and combined those ingredients with orzo to make this one-pan sausage and peppers with orzo.

My family of taste-testers agreed it was a hit, and after a few iterations, I’m sharing the final and best version of the recipe with you.

As is the case with other one-pan dinners, like my one-pot orzo and meatballs, this dish is excellent for busy nights when we want something delicious but with minimal cleanup.

Recipe Ingredients

All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.

• Sausage. I am using sweet Italian pork fennel sausage. Feel free to use any sausage you’d like, though. This would be great with hot sausage or different varieties of chicken sausage.
• Orzo. This rice-shaped pasta is one of the best pastas to use for one-pot dinners, and I use it often, like in my one-pan Mediterranean chicken and orzo. You could likely use another small pasta, like ditalini, but this recipe was specifically written for orzo so that’s what I recommend using.
• Peppers. Red and green bell peppers are great here, but use any color bell pepper you’d like.
• Stock. I recommend using homemade chicken stock, or low-sodium stock made from Better Than Bouillon chicken base.
• Tomato paste. I’m using tomato paste to add just a hint of tomato to this dish. If you wanted to use tomato sauce, you could omit the paste and use 1 cup of the sauce to replace 1 cup of the stock.
• Seasoning. I’m using fennel seed, dried Sicilian oregano, and fresh basil. You can omit the fennel seed if you don’t like it. If you don’t have fresh basil, you can use fresh parsley. I don’t recommend ever using dried basil.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to make one pan orzo sausage and peppers

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. In a large pan or pot over medium heat, cook the sausage until browned on all sides, then transfer the links to a cutting board to cool. Once cool enough to handle, slice into bite-sized pieces and cover with tented foil.
2. Add the olive oil, onions, peppers, and pinch of salt to the pan with 1/2 cup of water, turn the heat to high, cover with a tight fitting lid, and steam for 5 minutes.

3. Remove the lid, turn the heat to medium, and saute for 5 minutes or until the water has evaporated, then add the garlic and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. If the paste starts to burn at all, add a splash of water.
5. Add the sliced sausage back to the pan with the fennel seeds and cook for 3 minutes while stirring to combine.
6. Add the stock, salt, oregano, and orzo and mix well to coat.

7. Bring to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and turn the heat to low, cooking for 12-15 minutes or until tender. Note: my lid has an air hole in it, so I layered foil under the lid to get an even tighter seal.
8. Once the orzo is tender, taste test and if the mixture is too dry, add a touch more chicken stock or olive oil. Adjust salt and pepper as needed and garnish with fresh basil. Serve with grated parmesan or pecorino if desired.