Italian Sausage Orzo Soup (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Main Ingredients
01 -
1 cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)
02 -
4 cups chicken stock
03 -
2 stalks celery, finely diced
04 -
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
05 -
1/2 medium onion, diced small
06 -
16 oz Italian sausage, without casings if necessary
07 -
4 garlic cloves, chopped small
08 -
Salt and black pepper to your liking
09 -
1 can (28 oz) of diced tomatoes, including liquid
10 -
1/2 teaspoon oregano (dried)
11 -
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves (optional)
12 -
1 cup dry orzo pasta
# Instructions:
01 -
Cook sausage in a big soup pot over medium heat. Break it up until browned (about 7-10 minutes). Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel, leaving 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the pot.
02 -
Toss the onion and celery into the same pot. Stir around for 4-5 minutes. Mix in garlic and flour, stirring non-stop. Cook another minute.
03 -
Pour in chicken broth bit by bit, mixing it as you go so the flour blends in smoothly. Add the can of tomatoes along with oregano and the cooked sausage. Turn the heat up to bring it all to a low boil.
04 -
Stir in orzo and the cream. Lower the heat and let it simmer about 12 minutes, stirring now and then so it doesn't stick. Cook until the orzo softens.
05 -
Mix in the spinach at the very end. Add salt and pepper as needed.
# Notes:
01 -
If you're saving leftovers, make the orzo in a separate pot since it'll keep soaking up liquid.
02 -
You can pick sausage that's already ground or peel off the casings from whole ones.
03 -
It's important to stick with full-fat cream. It helps avoid curdling when combined with the tomato juice.