One pan meal lovers, this incredible recipe is for YOU. This is one of those dinners you can come back to when you want to pack in the veggies and protein, but want something cozy, nourishing, and that the kiddos will actually enjoy.
My one pan zucchini sausage baked orzo is filled with two whole zucchini and a rainbow of veggies, protein and savory flavor from hot Italian sausage, and is topped with two types of cheese for a comforting meal that will warm you from the inside out.
There are tons of easy ways to customize this wonderful baked orzo dish, so be sure to read through the post and make it your own! Don’t skip the garnishes — they’ll take this dinner to the next level.
Everything you’ll need to make this zucchini and sausage baked orzo
Savory sausage, a rainbow of veggies, tender pasta, and gooey cheese. What more could you want in a cozy dish? Here’s everything you’ll need to make this zucchini sausage baked orzo:
- Sausage: I like to use hot Italian sausage for a delicious kick of heat, but feel free to use your favorite ground sausage!
- Produce: not only are we packing in two whole zucchini, but we’re also adding yellow onion, a red bell pepper, and sweet corn for a wonderful veggie boost. You’ll need fresh garlic and lemon juice as well.
- Seasoning: all you’ll need is plenty of salt and pepper to bring out the flavors!
- Orzo: the core to this baked orzo dish, of course! I love how easy it is to bake up and scoop with the veggies and sausage.
- Broth: you’ll need some chicken broth to cook the orzo.
- Cheese: we’re mixing mozzarella cheese right in with the orzo, then adding more on top with crumbled feta for plenty of cheesy, savory goodness.
- To garnish: I love topping the pan with hot honey for a little sweetness, fresh basil, lemon zest, and flaky sea salt.
Customize this zucchini sausage orzo bake
There are tons of easy ways to make this baked orzo your own! Here’s what I can suggest:
- Try a new meat: Feel free to use any ground meat you like, though I do recommend sticking with a meat that is packed with flavor. You could try using cubed chicken instead of sausage (try seasoning it with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika and salt and pepper while cooking!)
- Choose your veggies: This recipe works well with pretty much any veggies you’d like! Feel free to add a few handfuls of spinach or mushrooms, too!
Can I make it vegetarian?
Absolutely! Simply omit the sausage and just mix in the veggies for a veggie-packed baked orzo, or swap the sausage for a can of white beans or chickpeas to get the extra boost of protein. You may need to amp up the spices and add extra salt to the dish as well!
What about gluten-free?
Use a gluten-free orzo to keep it gluten-free.
Delicious zucchini sausage baked orzo in 5 steps
- Cook the sausage. Start by fully cooking the sausage in a braiser or large skillet, breaking it up into large chunks as you cook. Transfer it to a plate and set it aside.
- Sauté the veggies. In the same skillet, cook down all of the veggies until the liquid from the zucchini has released and the pan is mostly dry.
- Add the pasta & bake. Stir in the orzo, chicken broth, lemon juice, and seasonings, then fold the sausage into the mixture and bake the whole skillet until the orzo is cooked.
- Cheese it up. Stir some mozzarella into the cooked orzo mixture, then top the skillet with more mozzarella and crumbled feta. Bake it again until the cheese melts, then broil it for a few minutes to get it nice and golden.
- Garnish & serve. Top the sausage baked orzo with hot honey, basil, lemon zest, and flaky salt if you’d like, then serve and enjoy!
Storing tips
Store any leftover zucchini sausage baked orzo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Simply reheat in the microwave.
More pasta recipes you’ll love
- One Pan Baked Pesto Orzo with Chicken Meatballs
- Incredible Caramelized Onion Spinach Chicken Pasta Bake
- Gochujang Carbonara
- Spicy Brown Butter Goat Cheese Pasta with Sweet Corn & Honey Roasted Butternut Squash
- One Pan Creamy Tomato Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage
Get all of my pasta recipes here!
I hope you love this zucchini and sausage baked orzo! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Zucchini & Sausage Baked Orzo with Hot Honey & Feta
Ingredients
- For the sausage and zucchini:
- 1 pound hot italian sausage
- 2 medium to medium-large zucchini, shredded
- ½ large yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup sweet corn, fresh or frozen
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the orzo:
- 1 pound orzo
- 3 ½ cups chicken broth
- Juice from ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or Cheddar or Italian blend), divided
- 4 to 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- Toppings:
- Hot honey, for drizzling
- Small basil leaves (or julienned basil)
- Lemon zest, from 1 small lemon
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cook the sausage: Place a large braiser or large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Remove the casing of the sausage and add it to the hot pan. Use a wooden spoon to break apart the meat, still leaving somewhat large chunks. You don’t want ‘crumbled sausage’, the goal is to have larger bites of sausage in the orzo. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is nice and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the sausage to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add in olive oil, if necessary, and immediately add in the zucchini, onion, bell pepper, corn, garlic and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is somewhat caramelized and the liquid from the zucchini releases and cooks down so that the pan starts to become dry, about 10 minutes.
- Add the orzo, chicken broth, lemon juice, salt and black pepper to the pan and stir until well combined. Fold the sausage back into the mixture.
- Bake uncovered until the liquid is mostly absorbed and pasta is cooked though, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and stir 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese into the orzo then smooth evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and crumbled feta on top. Place the skillet back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes. Switch oven to the broiler, and broil until the cheese is slightly golden in places, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with a generous drizzle of hot honey, basil, lemon zest, flaky sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately with extra hot honey for drizzling. Serves 6-8.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
24 comments
This was insanely good!! Made enough for left overs! Both my teens enjoyed it too!! What a great weekday meal!!
So happy to hear that!
Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out amazing! My husband loved it and this recipe is a keeper.
So happy to hear that!
It was a hit! Subbed leeks for white onion, and followed the recipe exactly, but halved. My picky toddler loved it, so THANK YOU!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
This dish was as easy as it is delicious! I used ground chicken and spiced it up with 1T Paprika,, 1 T red pepper flakes and 1t fennel seed (plus salt). I meant to stir in some chopped spinach right at the end but it was fantastic even without. I’ll make this again, often!
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
Amazing! So many layers of flavors and I love how many veggies are in it. Will be in regular rotation now!
Absolutely! One of our new fav dinners 🙂
This was a delicious and easy recipe for my family with two kids(ages 5 and 3). AK recipes are so approachable and she(Monique) is so relatable. Her new cookbook is beautiful and I’ve made many recipes so far, all wonderful. Thank you! You save dinner for so many families 🙂
Thank you so much, Kristin! Happy to hear you’re finding recipes here and in the cookbook that you love 🙂
This was sooooooo good! Amazing!
So glad you loved it!!
Made this for dinner the other night and my husband said it was “bonkers good”. Have to say I agree, one of my favorite AK recipes to date!
Haha love that! One of our new favs, too 🙂
Delicious recipe, but I have to note that the cook time says 20 minutes up top, but if you take the minimum cook time from each step, it adds up to 33 minutes, so it’s going to take longer than the recipe lets on from the top.
Thank you for the catch! I’ve updated accordingly. Glad you enjoyed!
Another recipe added to favorites! I love how easy it is to customize this based on tastes / what o have on hand. I swapped diced chicken thighs for the sausage (just baked them in the oven while prepping the other ingredients), added a couple tsps of Italian seasoning and used a combo on harvati and fontina for the cheese. It was a hit with little kids and adults. TRY IT!
Absolutely! So happy everyone loved it!
Love this dish – so good and have made it twice in past few weeks! My toddler loves it too (minus hot honey for him). Do you have recommendation for prepping this in advance to bring to a new mom friend? Would it freeze well? Should we only do first part of baking? Thanks!
Amazing!! And great question. I’d recommend cooking it all the way through (except the broiling) then cooling it and freezing it. They can thaw it and reheat in the oven!
This was so delicious! 1x recipe ended up making 7 to 8 servings. I swapped sausage for vegan links and it was still delicious, Also swapped chicken broth for veggie broth, Very easy recipe to make vegetarian! Loved the flavors and the hot honey on top really upleveled this recipe.
Perfect! So glad it was a hit!