So, even though its almost Memorial Day the weather here in Northern Illinois is not acting like a preview to summer…….rainy, chilly….rainy, chilly….repeat.
When its rainy and chilly, I like a nice bowl of soup. Soup in my mind is either a hard and fast recipe or throw it in the pot and hope………Chicken Sausage Orzo Soup was the latter.
All things I had on hand, threw them together and ta da…….souper soup! I have mentioned aidell’s sausage company. Their slogan is “Don’t Eat Boring… Eat aidell’s”
https://aidells.com and its true……there sausages and meatballs are super yummy. Don’t take my word for it…..ok…. well, do take my word for it, and try them …you will be glad you did.
I had a package of aidell’s Roasted Garlic Gruyere Cheese Smoked Chicken Sausage and wanted soup……..what next???? Onions and peppers, that was a start…….spinach for green and greens…good looking and good for you. More good for you….. white beans. I like canellini beans, they hold up well in soup.
Chicken sausage = chicken stock. Be sure to buy stock instead of broth, the flavor is much more intense. Of course, if you have the time……..like that happens for me…lol …..make your own stock for the best flavor.
I wanted to use couscous in this soup, but alas, the cupboard was bare…..of couscous, but I did have orzo ……..worked beautifully.
Simple, quick, yummy soup for rainy, chilly days or for a quick dinner. With a nice crusty loaf of bread……dinner is served!
PrintChicken Sausage Orzo Soup
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 4 aidell’s Roasted Garlic Gruyere Cheese Smoked Chicken Sausage, cut into 1 inch
- pieces
- 1 large red pepper, diced
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- non stick cooking spray( I use coconut oil spray)
- 1 – 32 ounce container chicken stock
- 1 (14.5 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups chopped spinach
- juice from half a lemon
- 1/2 cup orzo, uncooked
- coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Spray a large stock pot with nonstick spray. Heat over medium heat.
- Add red pepper, and onions, sauté until slightly tender, 3 minutes.
- Add sausage to the pot and cook an additional 3-5 minutes until sausage is heated through and beginning to brown.
- Add chicken stock, beans and spinach. Bring to a boil.
- Add orzo and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and squeeze in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
MAKE THIS SOUP! Wow was this good and im picky. It was full of different flavors and fast to make. I do all my cooking on the weekend because I dont have time after work, but was able to get this together in under an hour (less if I didnt let my 7 year old help cut everything up lol) I forgot to add the lemon at first and it was still terrific 4 stars. The lemon made a HUGE difference. 4 1/2 stars after that. Will definitely be making this often. Thanks.
So glad you liked it, thank for the thumbs up!