This one-pot, 30-minute sausage orzo soup recipe is brimming with flavor from Italian sausage, tomatoes, orzo, garlic, and a lineup of savory seasonings.
Why this recipe works
Sausage orzo soup checks all the boxes for a hearty, comforting soup. Italian sausage, tomatoes, tender orzo, garlic, onion, and plenty of seasonings bring tons of flavor to this broth-based soup. Serve with some homemade Italian bread and you’ll understand exactly why we love it so much!
Sausage tomato orzo soup is similar to Italian wedding soup except we use all pork meatballs and toss tomatoes into the mix. The orzo pasta is probably my favorite part. The soup as a whole is filling yet light and is honestly good year-round, not just in the wintertime.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
SAUSAGE – We removed the casing from Italian sausage links and rolled them into small bite-sized pieces. Mild or hot Italian sausage both work well, it’s up to you! You can just as easily use ground Italian sausage if that’s easier.
TOMATOES – You’ll need two 15-ounce cans of diced tomatoes. I typically make mine with fire-roasted tomatoes for that extra kick of flavor and a touch of heat. Again, that’s a personal preference kind of thing. The tomatoes add a welcome touch of texture.
ORZO – You can use regular or whole wheat orzo here. We have successfully substituted an equal amount of pearl couscous for the orzo in this soup if you prefer to use that instead. Acini di pepe and even ditalini I imagine would be great as well!
SEASONINGS – Don’t skimp out on the seasonings, they play a huge role in the flavor profile of this soup. Italian seasoning, dried oregano, ground fennel, salt, and pepper do the trick perfectly. If you’re looking for a little bit of spice, try adding some red pepper flakes.
How to Make Sausage Orzo Soup
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- In a 3.5-quart soup pot over medium-high flame, heat olive oil until shimmering.
- 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.
- Add orzo and 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 and continue boiling until pasta is cooked through (about 10 min). Add sausage back to pot about halfway through the boiling process. Serve warm.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Yes, you can easily substitute the Italian sausage with chicken sausage, ground beef, or ground turkey.
You can always add some leafy greens to the soup such as spinach or kale. If you decide to add any greens, just toss them in near the end of the cooking cycle as they don’t take long to cook. It would also be great with a can of kidney beans or black beans tossed in.
Store the cooled leftover soup in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave until warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your sausage tomato orzo soup with hunks of crusty bread (or garlic bread) on the side. It’s also great with a leafy dinner salad. Optionally garnish with oyster crackers, croutons, or grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
More Soup Recipes
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Sausage 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 pound 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 orzo pasta
- 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 30 ounces diced tomatoes two 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 easily substitute the Italian sausage with chicken sausage, ground beef, or ground turkey.
- You can always add some leafy greens to the soup such as spinach or kale. If you decide to add any greens, just toss them in near the end of the cooking cycle as they don’t take long to cook.
- Rolling the sausage into mini meatballs is fun, but you can shorten prep time by simply browning the sausage in chunks.
- You can use regular or whole wheat orzo here. We have successfully substituted an equal amount of pearl couscous for the orzo in this soup if you prefer to use that instead. Acini di pepe and even ditalini I imagine would be great as well!
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes add a nice kick of heat. If you want your dish to be a little spicier I would recommend using hot Italian sausage or add a few shakes of red pepper flakes.
Instructions
- In a 3.5-quart soup pot over medium-high flame, heat olive oil until shimmering (about 1-2 min).2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Add sausage pieces and sauté until lightly browned; transfer cooked pieces to a plate and set aside.1/2 pound Italian sausage links
- To the heated, oiled pan, add onion, garlic, and celery. Sauté until fragrant and slightly tender, stirring as needed (3-4 min).1/2 cup red onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 stalks celery
- Add orzo and sauté to lightly brown (2-3 min).1 cup orzo pasta
- Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes (with their juice), Italian seasoning, oregano, fennel, salt, and pepper.6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, 30 ounces diced tomatoes, 1 Tablespoon dried Italian seasoning, 1 Tablespoon dried Oregano, 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste
- Bring to boil and continue boiling until pasta is cooked through (about 10 min). Add sausage back to pot about halfway through the boiling process.
- Serve warm.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Store the cooled leftover soup in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave until warmed through.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on this blog on Sep 13, 2016 and has since been updated with new photos and expert tips. Original recipe contributed by Traci from The Kitchen Girl.
Amanda Davis
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Scott says
Question, the orzo is it pre cooked to brown it? I’d assume it is…
Amanda Formaro says
No it’s not precooked :) You are browning the dry pasta.
Amy Rullo says
Funny story..I make this all the time..a family fave til last month when I made it and it was so blah and we were like What the heck?!? Next day I opened my microwave and found the sausage in there where I had left it to stay warm while I was cooking the soup! 😂 So yeah, I forgot the sausage!
Amanda Formaro says
Haha!!
Linda says
Absolutely delicious!! Perfect fall and winter recipe.
Comfort food!!
San says
One more thing…I always put the orzo, pastine, tortilini on the side and add it to each bowl, then it doesn’t soak up all the broth and get soggy.
San says
To help with the “watery” soup use a couple of spoonfuls of ” better than bouilion” it’s really good. If you are watching sodium be careful with it. But I’ve had it fix many soups.
Amanda Formaro says
The reason for the water is because the orzo soaks up the liquid
Susanna says
Really delicious and quite easy. I added some frozen spinach for color. Will definitely make again.
Janet Bradley says
Could I use crushed tomatoes vs the tomatoes listed. Could I also use all broth and no water, I ask this based on other reviews. But I love everything that is in this soup…especially the orzo.
Thanks, Janet
Amanda Formaro says
Yes to both!
Don says
This my all-time favorite, go-to comfort food soup!! I use all broth and don’t add any water. Also, I toss in a healthy handful (or three!) of spinach at the end. Amazing. Thanks!
Amanda Formaro says
Love the addition of the spinach! Thank you!
Sandra Hunter says
Thank you for the great recipes!
Jessica P says
I found this was wayyyyyy too watery!!! I added in about 2 more cups of chicken broth and salt and nothing would make the watery taste go away. I was so excited to try this but this was not a good one for me. Not sure where I went wrong & even had my husband review the ingredients too to make sure I wasn’t crazy.
Amanda Formaro says
All I can think of is that you missed an ingredient somewhere. I’ve never heard anyone call this soup watery or tasteless. The opposite in fact. I make it several times a year and everyone always loves it.
Cheryl says
I too thought it was watery and not as much flavor as I thought it’d have. I added more salt also
Don says
I just use all broth, omit the water!
Danny says
Jessica I haven’t made this yet but when I read the recipe I knew it would be watery. You NEVER add water to a soup! Trust me I’m Italian I know. Once it’s watery you are right, you can add all you want and it still wont work. And NEVER use low sodium broth! Low sodium means no flavor. Unless you have to because of health issues. I’m thinking one 14 ounce can of tomatoes with juices (Diced, Whole, Stewed your choice) would be sufficient. And I will use one 32oz. box of broth.
Danny says
And also a full pound of sausage or 20oz. of Turkey sausage. 1/2 pound is nothing.
Beth says
I’m sorry to say that I also found this very watery. Feels like it needs some thing else…. mine looked nothing like the photos here. It was more watery and had a lot more tomato. I do appreciate the time the author put into posting this but it just wasn’t for me.
Pieshta says
This recipe looks and sounds delicious, but judging by the photo, I can’t believe there’s nearly a quart of tomatoes in this soup. Am I missing something?
Amanda Formaro says
It’s two standard 15-oz cans, so yes almost a quart. :)
Portia says
Absolutley DELICIOUS! Added mushrooms and carrots as I needed to use them up. Also used dill as I didn’t have any fennel. Great recipe!!!!
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you loved it! That’s my favorite thing about soup. You can add in different veggies and it’s still delicious!
Bridgett says
Really good, I added chopped red bell pepper with the red onion, celery and garlic and it really gave it a great flavor, I wanted more veggies, I also added an extra celery stick and lightened up on the amount of seasoning but increased the chicken broth to another tsp or 2(I used organic chicken broth that you mix one tsp to 8oz water)
Amanda Formaro says
Sounds like some great substitutions, so glad you enjoyed it!
Deb says
This is delicious!
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you!
Sharon Collins says
I haven’t made this soup but can’t wait to. It looks so easy. I will add some swiss chard as I love that in soup. I might also add some carrots. Sharon Collins
Amanda Formaro says
It’s sooooo delicious, hope you love it!
Kelly Collins says
Thank you for sharing your recipe. The soup I created, using your help, is so tasty. I am going to freeze it in a couple bags, one for me…and one for my best friend.
Gosh, a big bowl of hot homemade soup can make everything seem better. Thanks again.
Kelly
Amanda Formaro says
I agree, soup is so soothing! So glad you enjoyed it as much as we do :)
Doreen says
Thank you so much for this soup recipe. It was so good! Didn’t add the oregano but used basil and added carrots and peas. Really good.
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you enjoyed it Doreen!
Kristen says
My favorite soup recipe by far! So flavorful!
Melissa says
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I made this tonight and used Vegan sausage, and veggie broth. I did add carrots, kale and an extra cup of broth (need something to dip our home made bread into :)) and used febeel seeds since I could find ground. WOOOOWWWWW! Everyone loved it, even my meat eating hubby and mother. Thanks for an awesome, versatile soup!! Will def make again!
Amanda Formaro says
Yay! So glad you loved it, and great changes! We actually had this soup for Sunday dinner last night. My kids (all grown) and their significant others come over once a month for a family dinner. I served soup, salad and breadsticks! YUM
Carol says
Super easy and great flavored soup!
Kathleen says
How important is the fennel? I wanna make this soup but don’t don’t have that one ingredient
Amanda Formaro says
Fennel does add a distinct flavor, but it will still be delicious without it :)