One Pan Baked Feta Orzo with Chicken Sausage
This baked feta orzo with sausage is the rare one pan dinner that actually means one pan. The orzo cooks right in the dish, in the broth, alongside summer squash and grape tomatoes and a whole block of feta that melts into a sauce at the end. You fill the dish, cover it, and the oven handles the rest! Under 45 minutes, most of it hands off.
Single Dish Dinner
This is the recipe you need for those late summer nights when you've got produce to use up and zero interest in a real cooking project. It's a literal dump and bake kinda meal and it's hands-off for the 30 minutes it's in the oven.
I'll admit, when I first tested this I was nervous my kids wouldn't even try it (because... vegetables, iykyk). To my pleasant surprise, they devoured it. I still don't know whether it was the creamy orzo, the feta melted through the veggies, or the sausage that won them over. Either way it's a family dinner winner!
Baked Feta Orzo Ingredients
- Feta - Use a block, not pre-crumbled. Crumbled feta is coated to keep it from clumping and it won't melt down into the sauce the same way.
- Orzo - I used brown rice orzo which drinks up more broth and takes longer to soften than wheat orzo. If you swap in regular orzo, cut the broth back to 3 cups.
- Chicken sausage - An easy pre-cooked protein! I like the Applegate brand.
- Zucchini - Cut into ½ inch half moons.
- Low sodium chicken broth - Between the feta and the sausage, this dish has some salt already in it.
How to Make One Pan Orzo Bake
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions for this recipe are in the recipe card below.
Substitutions Worth Trying
Summer squash and tomatoes are summer in a bite which is why I chose them. They also release some liquid which the orzo absorbs as it cooks. Some other veggies that would be delish too:
- Bell peppers
- Yellow squash
- Red onion
- Eggplant
- Asparagus
Check out these recipes for more easy dinners
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Recipe
One Pan Baked Feta Orzo with Chicken Sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 7 oz feta cheese - block
- 12 oz orzo - I used brown rice orzo
- 12 oz grape tomatoes
- 1 small white onion - diced
- 1 medium zucchini - cut into ½-inch half moons
- 12 oz chicken sausage links - sliced into coins
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves - finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the block of feta in the center of a 9×13-inch baking dish.7 oz feta cheese
- Sprinkle the orzo evenly around the feta. Scatter the tomatoes, onion, zucchini, and sliced sausage over the orzo, keeping the feta uncovered. Season with the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.12 oz orzo, 12 oz grape tomatoes, 1 small white onion, 1 medium zucchini, 12 oz chicken sausage links, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp sea salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
- Pour the broth around the edges of the dish and gently shake the pan to settle the orzo into the liquid. Every piece of orzo needs to be submerged or it won't cook evenly.4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Cover and bake 25 - 35 minutes, until the orzo is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. If the orzo still has bite in the center, cover and give it another 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid from the dish and broil 2 - 3 minutes until the sausage edges crisp and the feta browns in spots.
- Stir immediately until the feta melts into the orzo. It will look loose and a little broken at first. Keep stirring, it pulls together into a creamy sauce as the liquid absorbs the melted cheese.
- Fold the basil into the orzo until disbursed.¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- Let it sit 5 minutes before serving. The orzo absorbs the last of the liquid as it rests. Enjoy!
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