Sausage Orzo Bake {One Pot}

Meet my newest Dump & Bake recipe.. Sausage Orzo Bake. This delicious recipe keeps things simple, a full meal made in the oven, all in one pot, packed with family friendly flavours.

An oven dish filled with cooked Sausage Orzo Bake on a table, ready to serve with a spoon.

This Sausage Orzo Bake recipe is an absolute midweek win for me because I usually have sausages to hand in the fridge or freezer (I made sure the rest of the ingredients were also something I usually have in the cupboard too), and the kids always cheer at the sound of the word ‘sausages’, so that’s one less battle on my hands.

Any leftovers are always a bonus for the next day’s packed lunches in food flasks too.

It’s a combination of my Simple Sausage Orzo recipe, which is made in one pot but on the hob instead, and Meatball Orzo Bake, which is made completely in the oven.

I wanted the ever-popular flavours of sausages with tomatoes and fennel (SO good, trust me), as well as extra vegetables and cheese, but baked ‘al forno’ method for a hands-off, easy dinner.

Why you’ll love this easy Sausage Orzo Bake recipe

⭐️ Full meal – no need for sides

⭐️ Low cost, low effort

⭐️ Simple ingredients and so tasty

A close up of a one pan dish with sausage, mushroom and orzo in a tomato sauce with cheese on top.

Sarah’s Notes

We’ve made sure we’ve made this a complete meal by adding a rich tomatoey sauce with onion and mushrooms (yes, do feel free to swap these if your children are not having any of it), so there’s no need for extra sides, although you could bulk out with salad or bread if you want the meal to go further.

The addition of fennel SEEDS

This ingredient is tried-and-tested and very popular in my Creamy Sausage Pasta, and I promise this herb makes all the difference to this dish. I don’t like aniseed flavouring at all but I do use fennel here because it tastes amazing in it.

Cooking the sausages

I am never too precious about how my sausages appear in this recipe. Do take off the skin by cutting along the length of the sausage and peeling it before you put it into your oven dish, but then you can either break it apart into large or small chunks or sort-of crumble it in. Whatever works for you!

Sausage Orzo Bake Ingredients

Ingredients for making a Sausage Orzo Bake recipe laid out on a white counter.

Sausages – You’ll need approximately 6 sausages for this and you can use any kind (I usually use plain pork sausages). Try to use good quality, high meat content sausages if you can.
Olive oil – Regular type, not extra virgin!
Garlic – If you want a shortcut, frozen, pre-prepared is perfect (it’s what I use mostly as one of my favourite shortcuts). Fresh is fine too.
Veggies – I use a white onion and baby button mushrooms in this, but feel free to use other kinds of vegetables.
Fennel seeds – Please please don’t skip these! Please invest in a jar and try it, and let me know what you think.
Chilli flakes – You can add more if you like spice. It is worth adding this, even for kids, as it really adds a warmth to the dish.
Orzo – The dried kind you find in packets.
Passata – Go for good quality if you can as it makes all the difference to the flavour.
Vegetable stock – Any good quality, fairly low salt, vegetable stock is fine. I think Marigold brand is the best around. Made from a cube is fine. See the note below on quantities.
Mozzarella – I used grated, but you could swap for another cheese if you prefer.
Sea salt andfreshly ground black pepper – Season generously.

How to make Sausage Orzo Bake

Chunks of raw sausage in an oven dish, with two hands cutting the skin off a sausage with a knife.

1. Remove the cases from the sausages and add the meat in pieces onto the baking dish with oil, as per the full recipe below.

Chopped, raw ingredients in an oven dish with oil drizzled for a Sausage Orzo bake dish.

2. Add in the onion, garlic and mushrooms, fennel seeds and chilli flakes. Stir everything together, season and bake for 10 minutes.

An oven dish with sausage and pasta, with passata and dried orzo over the top, about to be stirred with a wooden spoon.

3. Then add the orzo, passata and stock. Stir well, cover and bake again until the orzo is cooked through.

A hand sprinkling grated cheese over a sausage orzo bake dish.

4. Scatter the mozzarella on top and pop back in the oven for 5 minutes to melt.

LEFTOVERS & REHEATING

In the fridge Orzo can become a little gloopy after you’ve initially cooked it, so add a splash of water or an ice cube before you reheat it to stop it drying out.

In the freezer Orzo is always at its best when cooked and eaten immediately, but that’s not to say it won’t still be delicious if it’s out of the freezer. The texture can just become very stodgy. See the tip above for reheating.

❗️COOKING TIME & LIQUID MEASUREMENTS

The cooking time for this can vary a lot depending on your oven temperature. Always go by how well cooked your orzo is rather than by the clock.

The hot stock quantity in the recipe here says to use 600 ml, but this is for guidance. Always make sure you have a little more water to hand to add in if you think the sauce is thickening quicker than it takes for your orzo to cook, and make sure you add just a little at a time.

More orzo pasta recipes…

One Pot Pasta

Marry Me Chicken Orzo {One Pot Recipe}

One Pot

Bacon and Leek Orzo

Dump & Bake

Chicken Kyiv ORZO {Dump & Bake}

Dump & Bake

Broccoli Orzo Bake {Vegetarian Pasta Recipe}

FAQs

Is orzo a type of pasta?

Yes, orzo is pasta in the shape of large grains of rice. It’s sometimes known as ‘risoni’. The name means ‘barley’ in Italian because it looks a little like grains of barely.
It’s really easy to use as it cooks in a sauce, taking on the flavour and giving a creamy, comforting texture.

Do you cook orzo before baking it?

No, we don’t need to in this recipe, which is what makes it a true ‘one pot dinner’. Don’t worry at all about cooking everything together. In fact, the orzo releases starch which gives a lovely silky finish to the sauce, just like my other weeknight pasta recipes made in one pot.

Can I swap the pork sausages for vegetarian sausage?

Sure, you can try this as a vegetarian alternative dish by using chunks of veggie sausages instead. It will work really well. You could also try chicken sausages too if you fancy a different meat.

Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.

Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).

Sausage Orzo Bake {Dump & Bake}

Why you’ll love this easy Sausage Orzo Bake recipe