Our delicious and easy Sausage Zucchini Skillet + Orzo recipe is a quick dinner recipe that is packed with great flavor! In the late summer months it is perfect to make with all the fresh zucchini coming out of the garden!
The Best Sausage Zucchini Skillet Recipe
As the hot days of summer come to a close and our busy schedules pick-up with the start of school, we are always looking for some new, easy dinners. Enter this amazing sausage zucchini skillet with orzo! If you like our Stuffed Zucchini recipe, we can almost guarantee that you will like this one too. That recipe is a family favorite, but we are so excited to have a slightly less labor intensive version that brings all the same great flavors! Think of this as an unstuffed zucchini recipe with the added bonus of orzo pasta!
Looking for another quick dinner recipe? You have to try our Parmesan Chicken Orzo – a one skillet dinner that is so good!
What You Will Need
- olive oil – just a drizzle in the skillet to start the cooking process.
- yellow onion & garlic – classic flavor starters that bring so much to this dish!
- sweet Italian sausage – we like to pick-up a classic seasoned Italian sausage from our local grocery store, but feel free to use chicken sausage or any of your favorites.
- dried oregano leaves, dried basil leaves, kosher salt, & ground black pepper – classic seasoning combination that really brings up the flavor!
- orzo – a simple pasta that cooks quickly and looks almost like rice, but it’s actually a pasta.
- chicken broth – great for adding lots of moisture to cook that orzo!
- parmesan cheese & mozzarella cheese – toss in this combination of cheeses for all that melty goodness.
- lemon zest – just a little bit brings some acidity to really brighten all the flavors of this dinner recipe.
- fresh whole zucchini – we always have so many growing in the garden or pick some up from your local farmers market or CSA.
- butter – just a little to sauté the quartered zucchini pieces.
- toppings: marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, & fresh basil leaves.
How To Make A Sausage Zucchini Skillet + Orzo
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to drizzle some olive oil in a hot pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Move around the pan until softened and fragrant.
Next, add the sausage to the pan, use a wooden spoon to break it apart, and brown throughout. Drain any excess grease and add the seasonings.
Now add the uncooked orzo pasta and chicken broth to the hot skillet.
Mix to fully combine and bring to a simmer. Let it cook, uncovered, for about 8-12 minutes or al dente. Stir occasionally and feel free to add another splash of chicken broth if the pan starts to dry out.
While the orzo is cooking, bring another skillet to a medium high heat, add the butter, and then sauté the fresh zucchini until it is soft but firm.
After the orzo is fully cooked, remove the pan from the heat and add the parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
Mix to melt the cheese and then toss in the zucchini! Give it all another mix and top any way you want!
Best Way To Serve This Sausage Zucchini Skillet
Our family loves to top this skillet dinner with some marinara sauce, either make a big batch of homemade marinara sauce or just this simple pasta sauce. Then sprinkle some parmesan cheese or fresh mozzarella cheese over that, plus a few fresh basil leaves! More cheese is always a must, as far as we are concerned!
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Sausage Zucchini Skillet + Orzo
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sausage Zucchini Skillet + Orzo – the perfect way to use those garden-fresh zucchini! Packed with flavor + a meal the whole family will love!
Ingredients
Sausage + Orzo:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1 1/2 cup orzo, uncooked
- 2 cups chicken broth (more if needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- scant lemon zest
Zucchini:
- 3 small zucchini, sliced + quartered
- 1 tablespoon butter
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
Toppings:
- marinara sauce
- fresh mozzarella
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat the pan. Add onion and garlic. Move around pan until onion softens and garlic is fragrant; about 1-2 minutes.
- Add sausage. Break up with spatula and move around pan until fully cooked, approx. 5-7 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid, if any. Add dried oregano and dried basil. Stir to combine.
- Add orzo, broth, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer and let orzo cook, uncovered, approx. 8-12 minutes or until orzo is cooked al dente. Stir the orzo occasionally and add additional splashes of chicken broth, as needed, if the pan starts to feel dry before the orzo is done – this will help prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Meanwhile, as the orzo cooks sauté the zucchini. Bring a large sauté pan to medium heat. Add the butter and swirl to coat the pan. Add zucchini quarters and toss gently in the butter. Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Let cook until zucchini soft, but firm – approx. 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Once orzo is fully cooked remove from heat. Add the zucchini, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and a tiny bit of lemon zest for some acidity. Stir gently to combine as the cheese melts (if you don’t remove the skillet from the heat the cheese will overheat).
- Taste and add additional salt, as needed – this will depend a lot on how salted or seasoned your Italian sausage was so it will differ person to person – taste and add more if you need to.
- Serve with some marinara sauce on top (as much or as little as you want), additional fresh mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.
Notes
- Sweet Italian Sausage: the sweet italian sausage should be seasoned – if not, taste adjust along the way.
- Lemon Zest: we need just a little here to brighten – you shouldn’t really taste the lemon so just add a tiny bit (I used a microplane).
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 141
- Sugar: 0.8 g
- Sodium: 498 mg
- Fat: 6.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.8 g
- Protein: 10.4 g
- Cholesterol: 17.1 mg
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