Soup season is here, but this Italian soup is so good we make it year-round. Italian Sausage Tomato Orzo Soup is an easy, savory, recipe made with Italian sausage, tomatoes, plump orzo, onion, garlic, and lots of delicious seasonings.
Why this recipe works
Think of an Italian Wedding Soup with all-pork sausage meatballs. This savory, comfort soup is on the table in only 30 minutes. The seasonings, especially fennel, put the finishing touch on this Italian-inspired recipe. It’s a filling soup, yet hangs out on the light side because there’s no dairy added to the broth.
This soup is the ultimate comfort food. We love our tomato soup for lunch, but this orzo soup is worthy of dinner! It’s a broth-based, one pot, savory recipe that requires only a few basic cooking techniques. The sausage and tomatoes give it a sweet and savory flavor while the orzo delivers that pasta-shaped-like-rice goodness that everyone loves.
How to Make Italian Sausage Tomato Orzo Soup
These step by step instructions are here to help you understand how to make this soup. Please scroll down to simply print out the full recipe!
- In a 3.5-quart soup pot on medium-high flame, heat olive oil until shimmering (about 1-2 min).
- Add sausage pieces and sauté until lightly browned; transfer cooked pieces to a plate and set aside.
- To the heated, oiled pan, add onion, garlic, and celery; sauté until fragrant and slightly tender, stirring as needed (3-4 min).
- Add orzo; sauté to lightly brown (2-3 min).
- Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes (with their juice), Italian seasoning, oregano, fennel, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to boil; continue boiling until pasta is cooked through (about 10 min); add sausage back to pot about halfway through the boiling process.
- Serve warm.
Kitchen Tips
- You can add leafy greens to up the nutritional value. If you decide to add any greens, just toss them in near the end of the cooking cycle and they’ll cook to perfection.
- If you like a topping on your soup, add croutons, shaved parmesan cheese, or try kale chips for something different!
- We love fresh bread from the oven and this homemade Italian bread recipe is the perfect accompaniment.
- Rolling the sausage into mini meatballs is fun, but you can shorten prep time by simply browning the sausage in chunks.
If you want more quick soup recipes for busy weeknights, check out my 30 Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup. If you’re really pressed for time and need a 20-minute soup, check out my In-A-Hurry Kale Chickpea Soup. Both recipes are as easy as this Orzo soup.
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love
- Sopa De Fideos is bursting with delicious classic flavors of Mexican Noodle Soup. A must try!
- Amanda’s Meatball Soup is easy to make and makes a delicious, hearty meal. Great for fall!
- This Sausage Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup is very tasty and is less than 200 calories per cup.
- Another delightful broth-based soup is this Chicken and Bean Soup. Easy to make and wonderful for lunch.
- Rustic Garlic Potato Soup is ideal for chilly days. It keeps well in the refrigerator and can also be frozen for future meals.
- Vegetable Rice Soup, this easy one-pot soup is great for filling up on those good-for-you veggies!
- If you need a quick idea, try my comforting and delicious egg drop soup.
- Load this Corn Chowder up with bacon or ham or serve it meatless.
- This easy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is a homestyle comforting meal perfect for a chilly day or for when you’re feeling under the weather.
- Broccoli cheese soup has long been a comforting meal on a chilly day.
- With a colorful array of fresh veggies simmered in a tomato-like broth, this Minestrone Soup is hearty and healthy.
- Pasta fagioli is a hearty soup that’s loaded to the rim with pasta, beans, ground beef, veggies, and lots of flavorful seasonings.
NOTE: This recipe was updated on February 23, 2023 – we removed the water from the recipe and increased the chicken broth in its place. We find this produced a more flavorful result.
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Italian Sausage Tomato Orzo Soup
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ lb. Italian sausage links casings removed; rolled into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 cup whole wheat orzo pasta
- 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 30 oz diced tomatoes 2 15-oz cans
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel
- 1 teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
Things You'll Need
Before You Begin
- You can add leafy greens to up the nutritional value. If you decide to add any greens, just toss them in near the end of the cooking cycle and they’ll cook to perfection.
- If you like a topping on your soup, add croutons, shaved parmesan cheese, or try kale chips for something different!
- We love fresh bread from the oven and this homemade Italian bread recipe is the perfect accompaniment.
- Rolling the sausage into mini meatballs is fun, but you can shorten prep time by simply browning the sausage in chunks.
- We have successfully substituted an equal amount of pearl couscous for the orzo.
Instructions
- In a 3.5-quart soup pot on medium-high flame, heat olive oil until shimmering (about 1-2 min).
- Add sausage pieces and sauté until lightly browned; transfer cooked pieces to a plate and set aside.
- To the heated, oiled pan, add onion, garlic, and celery; sauté until fragrant and slightly tender, stirring as needed (3-4 min).
- Add orzo; sauté to lightly brown (2-3 min).
- Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes (with their juice), Italian seasoning, oregano, fennel, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to boil; continue boiling until pasta is cooked through (about 10 min); add sausage back to pot about halfway through boiling process.
- Serve warm.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on this blog on Sep 13, 2016.
Amanda Davis
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pepperpie says
This was so delicious, I pretty much made it as written, except for the addition of fresh spinach at the end. I even ground fennel seed in my mortar and pestle! My husband even gave it a 10/10. Adding it to the rotation- thanks!
Amanda Formaro says
It’s one of our favorites, so glad you enjoyed it so much! I also grind the fennel seeds in my mortar and pestle. Ground fennel is hard to find in grocery stores!
Kelly says
Only one store in my area carries ground fennel. I have fennel seeds and I have a coffee bean grinder, but I grind my weed in that for the last 20 years. No way my fennel can use that. I will figure it out, 😊
Amanda Formaro says
ha! I finally found ground fennel near me after checking multiple stores. But when I couldn’t find it, I just smashed the fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have one, you should be able to smash them with something else.
Jenny says
This was amazing! We are stuck un the house because of an ice storm, and I just happened to have all ingredients on hand. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfectly. My husband, 8 year old son and I all loved it! Will definitely make again.
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks Jenny! So glad you loved it as much as we do!
Monica Lundquist says
I found that there was way too much oregano and Italian seasoning. One tablespoon of each according to the recipe. I am wondering if that is a typo, should it be one teaspoon of each? I made it, but these seasonings were too overwhelming. I ended up adding more broth, adding some parsley leaves and some potatoes (which I later removed) to absorb the overwhelming flavors. Please confirm if these amounts are incorrect in the recipe and if so, what the correct amounts should be, thanks!
Amanda Formaro says
The amounts are correct. I’ve made it four times with those measurements and everyone loves it. But herb flavors are a personal preference, so it’s understandable if you felt they were too much. Sorry you didn’t like it!
Aminkos says
This soup is perfect for a wet cool autumn day. The flavors are a beautiful blend. I will definitely be making it again.
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you enjoyed it as much as we do!
Taylor says
Can’t wait to make this for the cool fall day. It was hard finding orzo in my grocery store, but finally found it in the international isle. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Amanda Formaro says
I hope you loved it! I’ve made it three times in the last month!
Janet Bradley says
Could I use a large can of Crushed tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes? I’m not a tomato person, but I do use the crushed ones.
This soup sounds amazing, and I want to make it.
Thanks, Janet
Amanda Formaro says
Yes absolutely!
Cindy says
Fabulous! Love this soup! I use a lb of sausage because I love it. Next time I will try 3/4 cup of the orzo so I have a little more broth. I omitted the fennel cause I didn’t have that nor could I find it at my local store. Paired it with some garlic sourdough bread. Delicious!
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks Cindy! I actually just made this again the other day. My mother in law is in town visiting (my daughter just got married) and she loved it too!
cindy says
Is there a difference in using Italian sausage in the casings verses buying it in bulk?
Amanda Formaro says
Not at all!
Andi says
This soup was very tasty! It definitely did not fit in my 3-qt soup pot – maybe you meant 5 qt?
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Andi! Woops, that should have said 3.5 quart… I can see where the 3 QT presents a challenge since the liquids alone yield about 9 cups before simmering. So, a 4 QT will work fine for this recipe, but if you prefer a really roomy pot, definitely go for the 5 QT. Thanks for bringing that to our attention, I’ve corrected the recipe.
Pete says
Awesome recipe……. used hot italian sausage, added baby spinach, and substituted farro for the orzo ……. so good! thanks for sharing !
Amanda Formaro says
Sounds delicious!
Jason says
Made this soup this evening.. So flavorful and yummy!! I added Tuscan Kale for some color and used a spicy chicken sausage.. I will definitely make this soup again and again..
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you enjoyed it as much as we do, thanks Jason!
Mary says
Doubled the recipe since I had little more than a pound of sausage. Browned sausage and put all in but pasta in crock pot to cook all day hope it comes out good.
Also was going to freeze some just going to leave out pasta till I eat it next time.
Amanda Formaro says
I hope you like it!
Jeff says
I made this recipe this evening. I followed the recipe exactly, except that the sausage was Italian made with ground lamb. I had to substitute Greek seasoning for the called for Italian seasoning. The result was superb, delicious. I will make this recipe many times as it has earned a place in my “favorites” file. Many thanks for sharing!
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks so much Jeff, so glad you enjoyed it! Love the Greek substitutions as well :)
Nan says
Delicious! My family loved it…making it again tonight!!
Cindy says
This soup is soooo tasty!! I used the entire 1 lb. package of mild Italian sausage as well as following others’ suggestions to cook the orzo before putting in the soup. I cooked the orzo in chicken broth and used what was left in the pot in lieu of the water called for in the recipe. I didn’t have any fennel, but didn’t miss it. We loved it!! I give it 5 stars!!
Amanda Formaro says
Awesome!! We’re so glad it turned out delicious for you, Cindy! :)
Kristin says
This is a huge hit in my house! I only had Original Rotel on hand and it was perfect for my spicy family. Thank you!!!
Amanda Formaro says
That’s awesome, thanks for sharing Kristin! :)
Caroline says
Do you think this would freeze well? Or would the orzo be too mushy?
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Caroline. I asked Traci, the contributor of this recipe, and she said “Great question! I’ve never had a problem with mushy pasta in soups from the freezer (unless it was mushy before freezing). One way to avoid mushy pasta in soup (if you’re planning to freeze), is to cook the orzo only until it’s al-dente (slightly firm) and when you reheat, it will soften up.”
Susan says
Your picture doesn’t look as many tomatoes as mine. Did you add less for pictures?
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Susan. No, we didn’t add less…it’s just how we staged it. But if you find it’s too many tomatoes, you can cut it in half and use one can. Thanks for asking!
Danielle says
Hi I was wondering if the seasoning measurements are right for the oregano and Italian seasoning, it looked like a lot of seasonings floating on top when I put them in. Will they all get absorbed somehow?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes, the measurements are correct. However if you prefer to use less, you can reduce the measurements to your taste. :)
Pat says
Does this serve more than one as states? I was making for company!
Amanda Formaro says
A serving size is one cup :) It actually should serve 5-6