Lemon orzo with broccoli & chicken sausage is an easy, complete meal made in one skillet. The dish is healthy and colorful thanks to broccoli, one of our favorite veggies. Lemon adds brightness to the dish. Finally, two kinds of cheese are used to make sure the final results are delicious.
As the weather warms up, I start to trade in my sheet pan dinners for one-skillet meals. It won’t be long before we don’t want to use the oven, so I look for stovetop-only dinners.
Elements
Olive Oil: Used to sauté the onions and brown up the sausage.
Chicken Sausage: We are using the fully cooked sausage links for this recipe, such as these.
Onion: Rare is the day I don’t use onion in a recipe; they add so much flavor. I typically use red onion, but any kind you have will work.
Broccoli: As I mentioned, broccoli is one of our favorite vegetables. Healthy and delicious.
Garlic: Adds great flavor.
Orzo: This little rice-shaped pasta cooks quickly, making it ideal for a one-skillet meal.
Lemon Zest & Juice: Using both the zest and juice really amps up the lemon flavor.
Low-Sodium Chicken Stock: Using low-sodium chicken stock helps control sodium, since the sausage and cheese both contain salt.
Mozzarella Cheese: Gooey, melty mozzarella cheese makes everything better.
Parmesan Cheese: Adds strong, sharp, cheesy flavor.
Salt & Black Pepper: Add to taste.
Preparation
I like my large non-stick skillet for this recipe, as I don’t have to worry about the orzo sticking to the bottom of the pan as it cooks.
First, you will cook the onion and the sausage until the onion softens. Add the broccoli and cover the skillet. I cover the skillet to give the broccoli a chance to start to get tender before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Add garlic, then the orzo, lemon zest, juice, and the chicken stock. Simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Give the skillet a good stir a few times. Make sure the orzo pasta stays submerged in the liquid so it cooks and gets tender.
After about 10 minutes, stir in the cheeses.
Serve immediately. I like to serve lemon orzo with broccoli and chicken sausage in a bowl.
Lemon Orzo with Broccoli and Chicken Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 chicken sausage links sliced
- ¼ cup onion chopped
- 2 cups broccoli chopped into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ cup orzo pasta
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice about half a large lemon
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1¼ cups low sodium chicken stock
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add oil to a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sausage and cook for 5 minutes until the onions are starting to soften.
- Add the broccoli and cook, covered, for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and orzo. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the orzo, lemon zest, juice, and chicken stock. Heat to a heavy simmer. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10 minutes or until orzo is tender, stirring occasionally. If there is extra liquid, remove the lid for the last couple of minutes. Add the mozzarella cheese and stir it in as it melts.
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.