Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes

Posted on November 17, 2008 by kitchenbelle

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 I always have my eye out for recipes that can be made ahead then easily reheated in single portions without compromising taste or texture,  so when I saw this recipe  at A Taste of Home Cooking  (which The Home Cook found in the  Serious Eats newsletter) I knew I would try it out.  Without a doubt, this is an easy and quick dinner to make.  I would definitely classify it as a ‘weeknight supper.’  The flavor is good–it is fresh and delicious but it is simple and straightforward.  I see this as a perfect “go-to” after a long day, when you come home hungry and want to eat something fresh, yet don’t exactly feel like cooking.  Pour yourself a glass of red wine and whip this up.  You’ll be eating a delicious bowl of pasta in no time.

(The day I made this, my cousin gave me some fresh parsley from his garden–score!!!  It really added to the freshness factor!) 

Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes:

  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 pound orzo
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 sweet Italian chicken sausages, casings removed
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 roasted red peppers, cut into 1/4 inch strips
  • 6 plum tomatoes (I used canned)
  • red pepper flakes to taste
  • fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

In a large saucepan, boil the chicken broth plus three cups of water.  Add the orzo and cook about 8-10 minutes, or according to package directions. 

Heat oil in a large skillet and add sausage and cook until done.  Add the garlic, peppers, tomatoes and red pepper until all are heated through. 

Drain the orzo, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.  Pour the orzo into your serving bowl then pour the 1 cup of reserved liquid over it.  (This will keep it moist and prevent sticking.) Top with the sausage mixture and toss gently to combine.  Top with freshly grated cheese and fresh parsley.

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis’s recipe found here on SeriousEats.com

 

 

 

Filed under: Main Dish, orzo, sausage | 2 Comments »

Baked Rigatoni with Chicken Sausage

Posted on August 5, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I have been craving pasta, and even though it was a  warm summer evening, I decided to be defiant and go ahead and make this wintery meal anyway!  Rather than use typical rigatoni I used mezzi rigatoni, which I purchased from a specialty Italian grocer.  This macaroni really contributed to the success of the dish, in my opinion.  I love the chewy texture and thickness of the pasta.  Additionally, the quality and freshness were notably superior to anything found in a local supermarket.  (If you don’t already do so, I encourage you to venture into specialty stores, if for nothing else but inspiration!  And in the meantime you may find new products you love!) 

Also worthy of note: The original recipe called for vodka, however, I don’t always love the taste of alcohol in my food (in my glass is a different story!) so I swapped it out for some beef broth.  I love the richness beef broth adds. 

I loved this meal!  It was delicious and creamy, however, not too rich.  There was a nice sweetness to it, and as I said, the texture of the pasta was really satisfying.  Served with a fresh salad, a crusty French baguette, and a nice glass of red wine, I found myself completely unafraid of the impending cool weather!

 Baked Rigatoni with Chicken Sausage:

  • olive oil
  • freshly groung salt and pepper
  • 2 medium red onions, chopped
  • 8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup of beef broth
  • 2    28 oz. cans whole tomatoes with juice and basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 lbs. mezzi rigatoni (or any tubular pasta)
  • 2   10 oz. bags fresh baby spinach
  • 24 oz. chicken sausage
  • 12 oz. fontina cheese, grated

Bring a large pot of water and salt to a rolling boil. 

Remove sausages from casings and cook over med-low heat with some olive oil until sausage is no longer pink. (Do not use a non-stick pan.)  Spoon the sausage from the pan into a bowl and set aside.  Add onions to pan and cook over med-low heat until soft/translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic to pan and cook another 3 minutes or so, until garlic is soft.  Remove pan from heat and add beef broth and deglaze the pan.  Return pan back to heat and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes and oregano.  Cook until tomatoes have fallen apart–about 15 minutes.  Stir in cream and cook another 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente.  Use pasta water to cook spinach very quickly–this only takes a few seconds.  Drain the spinach and the pasta and return both to pot.  Add tomato sauce, sausage, and 8 oz. of grated fontina to pot of spinach and pasta and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.  

 Pour into a deep baking dish.   Top with remaining grated fontina cheese.  Bake covered for 15 minutes.  Uncover and bake an addition 5-10 minutes.

Recipe notes:

  • This may be made ahead–up until the point of baking–and frozen.  Do not thaw before baking.
  • This recipe may easily be cut in half, as I doubled the original recipe.

 

Recipe adapted from Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage by Martha Stewart found here on marthastewart.com

 

 

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