Baked Sausage, Peppers and Onions with Orzo

Picture the family gathered around the table with casserole dishes all over the center.  Lots of laughter, stories and love...  That is Sunday dinner.

This Sunday I bring you Baked Sausage, Peppers and Onions with Orzo.  It is absolutely fabulously flavorful and so good I have made it 3 times in the last 2 weeks.

I was actually craving a sausage, pepper and onion hoagie when I developed  this.  I remember thinking about the slogan for the new show on Food Network, Sandwich King.  The slogan is "Any meal into a sandwich".  So, I thought I can make this hoagie into a meal.  So, now we have Baked Sausage, pepper and onion with orzo!  Buon Appetito!

Baked Sausage, Peppers and Onions with Orzo

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (I used 1/2 sweet & 1/2 spicy chicken sausage)
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 red peppers, sliced about 1/4" thick
1 large onion, sliced about 1/4" thick
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 (14.5 ounce) cans reduced sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 pound dried orzo pasta
1/2 cup Italian cheese blend
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a saucepan over high heat add chicken broth and water.  Bring to a boil.  Add salt and orzo.  Boil 7 minutes or until just shy of al dente.  Place a sieve over a bowl in your sink.  Drain orzo into sieve, reserving the cooking liquid.

While the orzo is cooking, in a large skillet over medium heat drizzle olive oil.  Once pan is warm, add sausage and fry until almost cooked through.

Remove sausage and put in a covered bowl, leaving drippings in pan.  Return skillet to medium heat and add onions, garlic and peppers to the pan drippings.

Cook until onions are translucent.   Turn heat down to med-low and return sausage to pan, add Italian seasoning, stir to combine and warm until orzo is done.

Add cooked orzo to a 9x13 baking dish, add sausage mixture.  Add reserved cooking liquid to make very moist, approximately 1/2 - 1 cup.  Add Italian cheese blend and stir to combine.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs to cover completely.  Drizzle olive oil over bread crumbs.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is browned and breadcrumbs are slightly crisp.

Remove from oven and serve.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - The Slow Roasted Italian.com