Creamy Sausage Orzo Soup with Spinach
This creamy Sausage Orzo Soup is a cozy one-pot dinner with Italian sausage, tender orzo, and baby spinach in a tomato Parmesan broth. It gets its creaminess from half-and-half, so there's no heavy cream needed, unless you want a richer soup! It's ready in about 45 minutes and makes 6 to 8 servings, which means dinner tonight and lunches for the week.
Quick Glance: Sausage Orzo Soup Recipe
- 😋 Flavor & Texture: Savory Italian sausage and garlic in a creamy tomato broth with nutty Parmesan, tender orzo, wilted spinach, and a little optional heat.
- 🕒 Total Time: 10 minutes prep + 35 minutes cook time
- 🍲 Servings: 6 to 8 hearty bowls from one pot and one pound of sausage
- 🥡 Leftovers: Keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge and thickens as it sits, so add a splash of broth when reheating.
- 🔄 Easy Swaps: Turkey or chicken sausage, kale for spinach, or heavy cream for a richer soup.
- 👩🍳 Best For: Weeknight dinners, meal prep lunches, and stocking the freezer
- 💡 Pro Tip: Take the pot off the heat before you stir in the half-and-half so the broth stays smooth.
Summarize & Save This Content On
I love soup all year long, even in the summer, and this Italian sausage orzo soup is a good example of why. One pound of sausage turns into a hearty bowl, so it stretches the grocery budget and gives me a full meal in a bowl for days.
When I made this pot, I used ground turkey mixed with Italian sausage seasoning to keep it a little lighter, and it still tasted rich and cozy. The half-and-half goes in after the pot comes off the heat, and I had zero issues with curdling. One heads-up from my kitchen: orzo keeps soaking up broth as it sits, so leftovers get thicker, but I'll show y'all exactly how to handle it.
If you want more ways to use Italian sausage, try my sausage gnocchi soup or swap the beef for sausage to make a zestier lasagna soup next.
Why This Recipe Works
- Creamy without heavy cream: The half-and-half is stirred in off the heat, so it stays smooth next to the tomatoes.
- Body without flour: Tomato paste, Parmesan, and the starch from the orzo thicken the broth on their own, so there's no roux to make.
- Better browning: The onion, celery, and carrots cook first and come out of the pot. That gives the sausage room to brown, and the veggies don't overcook.
- One pot, big batch: The orzo cooks right in the soup in 8 to 10 minutes, and one pot makes up to 8 servings. It's budget-friendly and great for meal prep.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Italian sausage: Sweet or mild Italian sausage is my pick here. Pork, chicken, and turkey sausage all work. Use bulk sausage or remove the casings from links. For a lighter pot, I use a pound of ground meat mixed with 1-2 tablespoons of Italian sausage seasoning. It also works great to make a ravioli soup too!
- Orzo: Orzo looks like rice, but it's a small pasta made from wheat. It cooks fast and you get a little in every spoonful. If you end up with extra, use it in my chicken orzo soup recipe.
- Half-and-half: This is what makes the broth creamy without making it heavy. Heavy cream works too to make it extra creamy. Either way, it goes in after the pot comes off the heat.
- Canned tomatoes and tomato paste: Use diced tomatoes with their juices. Fire-roasted diced tomatoes are a nice swap for a bolder flavor. The tomato paste deepens the flavor and gives the broth more body.
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan melts the smoothest. Use ⅓ cup if it's finely grated or ⅔ cup if it's shredded.
- Chicken broth: I prefer low-sodium broth or stock or my homemade rotisserie chicken stock to have more control over the salt.
- Baby spinach: Give it a rough chop so it's easy to eat. It wilts in seconds from the heat of the soup.
Check the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and quantities of each one.
Dietary Modifications & Variations
- Lighter: Use turkey or chicken Italian sausage, or ground turkey with Italian sausage seasoning like I do. You can also swap whole milk for the half-and-half for fewer calories and fat.
- Spicy: Make the soup with hot Italian sausage or use the full ½ teaspoon of red chili flakes. If you like soups with a spicy kick, this chicken taco soup is one of my favorites.
- Different greens: Kale works in place of spinach. Add it with the orzo so it has time to soften.
- Stretch it further: Stir in a can of rinsed cannellini beans with the broth. It's an inexpensive way to get a couple more bowls out of the pot.
- Different pasta: No orzo? Ditalini or small shells will work. Cook them for the time listed on the package.
- Gluten-free: Swap in gluten-free orzo or another small gluten-free pasta. I'd cook it separately and add it to each bowl so it holds its shape.
How to Make Sausage Orzo Soup
This creamy sausage orzo soup comes together in one large pot or Dutch oven. Here's a quick look at the steps.
Step 1: Soften the veggies. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, celery, and carrots for 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Transfer them to a bowl. Pulling them out now gives the sausage room to brown.
Step 2: Brown the sausage. Add the oil to the pot, then the sausage. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, crumbling it as you go, until it's cooked through and no longer pink. If you're using pork sausage, spoon off all but about a tablespoon of the fat.
Step 3: Add the garlic and seasonings. Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and chili flakes. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Step 4: Simmer the broth. Return the veggies to the pot. Add the chicken broth, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Stir until the tomato paste dissolves. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes.
Freezing this soup or making it ahead? Stop here and jump to my tips below.
Step 5: Cook the orzo. Stir in the orzo and bring the soup back to a low simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender. Stir every couple of minutes and scrape the bottom of the pot so the orzo doesn't stick.
Step 6: Finish and serve. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the spinach, half-and-half, and Parmesan until the spinach wilts and the cheese melts. Taste, then season with more salt and pepper. Top each bowl with extra Parmesan, chopped parsley, and a pinch of chili flakes. You can even add cornbread croutons on top for a nice crunch.
Orzo in the Pot or on the Side?
Cook the orzo in the pot if you'll eat most of the soup tonight, and cook it separately if you want leftovers or plan to freeze it. One cup of dry orzo absorbs about a cup of broth as it cooks, and it keeps absorbing as the soup sits. That's why the broth amount changes.
| Orzo cooked in the pot | Orzo cooked separately | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Eating most of it tonight | Leftovers, meal prep, and freezing |
| Chicken broth | 5 cups | 4 cups (4½ cups if you like it brothier) |
| How to cook it | Simmer in the soup for 8 to 10 minutes | Boil in salted water until 1 minute shy of the package time, drain, and toss with a drizzle of olive oil |
| Leftovers | It thickens as it sits, so add a splash of broth | Add a scoop of orzo to each bowl and ladle hot soup over it |
Lyn's Top Tips
- Keep it from curdling: Take the pot off the burner before you add the half-and-half and Parmesan. The soup is plenty hot to wilt the spinach and melt the cheese, and I've never had the dairy separate this way.
- Grate your own Parmesan: Freshly grated cheese melts into the broth for the creamiest texture.
- Add extra savory flavor: Stir 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon into the pot with the broth and tomatoes.
- Season at the end: The sausage, broth, and Parmesan all bring salt, so taste the finished soup before you add more.
- Storing: Keep leftover sausage orzo soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. If you cooked the orzo separately, store it in its own container. Warm leftover soup on the stove over medium-low heat and thin it with a little broth if it's too thick. Be sure to heat it gently and don't let it boil.
Can I freeze sausage orzo soup?
Y'all, this is one of my favorite soups to stash in the freezer! The trick is to leave out the orzo and dairy. Orzo keeps soaking up broth the longer it sits, and after freezing it turns soft and mushy. Half-and-half can also get a little grainy once it thaws.
To make a freezer-friendly batch, reduce the chicken broth to 4 cups and follow the recipe through step 4. Let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you're ready to eat, thaw the soup overnight in the fridge and warm it on the stove over medium-low heat. Once it's simmering, take it off the heat and stir in the spinach, half-and-half, and Parmesan. Cook the orzo separately in salted water, then add a scoop to each bowl before ladling the soup on top. It tastes just as cozy as the day you made it. For more ideas, see my freezer soup recipes.
One-Pot Sausage Orzo Soup Recipe FAQs
No, you don't need to cook orzo first if you're eating the soup the same day. Stir the dry orzo into the simmering soup and cook it for 8 to 10 minutes. If you want leftovers or plan to freeze the soup, cook the orzo separately and reduce the broth to 4 cups.
Yes, frozen spinach works. Thaw it and squeeze out as much water as you can so it doesn't thin the broth. Stir in about ½ cup at the end, right when you would add the fresh spinach.
No, this sausage orzo soup is mild as written. Sweet Italian sausage isn't hot and the red chili flakes are optional, so it's kid-friendly. If you like heat, use hot Italian sausage or add the full ½ teaspoon of chili flakes
Soup-er Toppings & Serving Suggestions
This soup is a full meal in a bowl, so it doesn't need much on the side. Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve it.
- Something to dunk is always a good idea. Try my homemade dinner rolls or cheddar cheese biscuits.
- When serving for company, enjoy this tomato ricotta toast on the side.
- Reheating a bowl for lunch? Pair a cup of soup with half a prosciutto sandwich.
Sausage Orzo Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced into coins
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage chicken, pork, or turkey, bulk or casings removed
- 3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili flakes optional
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 14 oz cans chopped tomatoes or 1 28oz can, undrained
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 3 cups chopped baby spinach
- 1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more to taste (or ⅔ cups shredded Parmesan cheese)
- Chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 5-6 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Carefully transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
- Return the pot to the heat. Add the oil. Once hot, add the Italian sausage and cook for 4-6 minutes, crumbling until cooked through and no longer pink.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and chili flakes. Sauté for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Stir in the sautéed vegetables, chicken broth, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high. Once simmering, reduce to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the orzo, return to a low simmer, and cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the baby spinach, half-and-half, and grated parmesan. Stir until the spinach is wilted and the cheese is melted.
- Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with parmesan cheese and parsley.
Recipe Tips
- Richer or lighter: For a richer soup, use heavy cream instead of half-and-half. For a lighter soup, swap in whole milk.
- Creamiest texture: Use freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- Extra savory: Stir 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon into the soup with the chicken broth and tomatoes.
- Cooking the orzo separately: Reduce the broth from 5 cups to 4 cups (or 4½ cups for a brothier soup). Cook the orzo in salted water about 1 minute shy of the package time, drain, and toss with a drizzle of olive oil so it doesn't clump. Keep it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and add a scoop to each bowl before ladling the hot soup over it.
