Creamy Rich Orzo Risotto with Italian Sausage
A rich and creamy Risotto dish with a well developed flavor profile without all the hands on time of the more traditional version made with rice.
Equipment
- Dutch oven pot with lid
Ingredients
- 16 oz Italian sausage
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- ½ tsp Kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp coarse black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup Orzo pasta, uncooked
- 2¼ cups chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 cup frozen peas
- shaved Parmesan cheese, optional garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven pot over medium heat.
- Add Italian sausage and cook for about 4-5 minutes, breaking its up with a wooden spatula into small crumbles.
- Add diced onion to the pot and continue cooking until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and garlic to the pan. Stir to combine and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add Orzo pasta and stir to combine with the seasoned sausage.
- Add 2 cups chicken broth, stir to combine.
- Add heavy cream and stir to combine.
- Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
- Stir occasionally to prevent pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in reserved ¼ cup of chicken stock to thin the sauce.
- When pasta is cooked al dente turn off heat and add the parmesan cheese to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Add frozen peas and stir to combine.
- Cover pan with a lid and allow risotto to rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve topped with shaved Parmesan cheese if desired.