This one-pot meal is bursting with flavour. Zucchini and shallots simmer in the oils released from the browned sausages and get drenched in a homemade roasted red pepper sauce made with crushed tomatoes, garlic, and onion together with the orzo. Seasoned with chili flakes, thyme, and cinnamon for a touch of heat and warming spices.

This one-pot meal has it all. Short grain pasta makes it not so overly filling leaving plenty of room for dessert. Top it off with fresh shaved parmesan and herbs for an added fresh touch.

The sauce is absolutely delicious and thickens beautifully as the dish simmers. We used fresh red peppers and took the time to roast them slightly in the oven but you could absolutely skip this step and opt for a jar instead. It isn’t that much work really, this step can be done way in advance as the ingredients will re-heat and warm once turned into a sauce.

We like to brown the sausage first to speed up the cooking time and finish them off with everything in the pan in the warm sauce. Press down on the sausages to release some of their juices as this will help season the shallots and zucchini and add some extra flavour to the sauce.

When making the sauce, if you don’t have enough room in your blender don’t worry. Simply dump out what you’ve blended into your skillet and mix the rest. Add everything into the skillet and stir to combine. It will all blend together when it’s simmering. If you find it getting too thick you can add some more broth as the orzo will soak up quite a bit of the sauce while its cooking.

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Print Recipe

sausages with orzo in roasted red pepper sauce

One-pot sausages with orzo in a homemade roasted red pepper and tomato sauce topped with fresh parmesan cheese and herbs.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Weeknight Dinners

Servings: 4 -6

Author: the communal feast

Ingredients

• 4-6 sausages of your choice chorizo, calabrese
• 1 zucchini sliced into small cubes
• 2 shallots finely chopped
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 200 g orzo
• 2 large red bell peppers substitute jar roasted red peppers
• 1 can San Marzano tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup red wine optional
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp fresh or dried thyme
• salt + black pepper
• garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese
• serve with crusty bread

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. On a baking tray lightly sprayed with cooking oil. Place garlic cloves, and whole half of yellow onion. Cut the peppers in half, remove seeds and place on tray. Bake for 10 minutes until skin begins to blacken and vegetables are roasted. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes until ready to handle. Remove the skin from the peppers.
• In a high speed blender add roasted vegetables, and a splash of stock. Blend until smooth. Slowly add the tomatoes with liquid. Blend until smooth.
• In a large skillet over medium heat cook the sausages until browned on both sides. Lightly push down on the sausages to release some of the fat and oils. Once browned remove from the heat and set aside. Add the shallots and zucchini to the skillet. Cook stirring occasionally for 1-2 minutes. Add the olive oil and spread across the bottom of the pan. Season with chili flakes, cinnamon, and thyme. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the sauce, remaining stock, salt and pepper and return the sausages to the pan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened and sausages are fully cooked. Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan.
• Serve topped with fresh herbs, generous amount of parmesan and enjoy with crusty bread.