Easy, simple, summer inspired pasta ready in less than 30 minutes. You know I love easy pasta recipes, this one is one of those. This is what I consider my “clear-out-the-fridge” pasta because it utilizes ingredients that are always stocked in my fridge/pantry. Butter, Italian sausage, onion, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, lemon, dill, parmesan… mmm. It’s super light and I promise it’ll become a new favourite in your household.
What is Orzo?
Orzo? Risoni? It’s a versatile short-cut pasta shaped like the grain of rice. It’s made with semolina flour (durum wheat). It’s easy to cook, pairs well with pasta sauce, or in a simple pasta salad! It’s quickly become of my new favourite types of pasta noodle to cook. When making a pasta sauce, I prefer to use a lighter sauce to balance the size of the orzo pasta.
Orzo Summer Pasta with Italian Sausage, Dill, Lemon
Ingredients
Pasta
- 1.5 cups Orzo / Risoni Pasta
- 5-6 cups water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
Pasta Sauce
- 1/2 Onion, chopped
- 2-3 Italian sausage links
- 1/2 tsp Chilli flakes
- 1/2 Zucchini, diced
- 5-6 Garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved 2 roma tomatoes
- 1/3 cup Pasta water
- 1/3 cup Parmesan, grated
- 1/2 cup Peas
- 1/2 Lemon, juiced
- 1/8 cup Dill, finely chopped
- 1-2 tsp Salt adjust as needed
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Plus Powder opt
Instructions
Preparation
- Finely mince garlic and onion. Halve the tomatoes and dice zucchini. Carefully remove the casing from the Italian sausages, set aside.
Boil Pasta
- In a large pot, boil 5-6 cups of water. Once boiled, add in orzo pasta, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of olive oil. Cook on a low simmer until al dente ~7-8 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, drain the rest of the pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Sauté Vegetables
- Using a medium cast iron pan, heat up 1 tbsp of oil oil. Once heated, add in your onions with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add in zucchini, garlic, and chilli flakes - cover and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly softened.
Pasta Sauce
- Add in tomatoes and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add in 1/2 cup of pasta water, 1/2 cup of parmesan, and 1/2 lemon squeezed. Combine cooked orzo, peas, chopped dill, and garlic plus powder, salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Let me know how you enjoy this recipe in the comments below! Stay tuned for more recipes!
xx, CWC
