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This easy Italian sausage orzo soup recipe has an irresistible creamy tomato broth! It’s a favorite with picky eaters and is simple to make with everyday ingredients.
Love orzo? Try my Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup or Italian Sausage Orzo next.
Why you’ll love it
I love a piping hot bowl of creamy sausage soup, and it’s even better with orzo! Those tiny pasta bites make this a hearty and filling meal. The best part is that the orzo cooks right in the soup, so there’s no messing around with boiling pasta separately.
Tasty Italian sausage, plenty of garlic, and fresh spinach along with some pantry staples make this simple sausage soup with orzo recipe special. The broth is silky and creamy and sooo good. With minimal prep time, this soup is comfort food fast.
What you’ll need
- Italian sausage – I chose Johnsonville mild
- Onion, celery, and garlic – our tasty aromatics. I like sweet (Vidalia) onions best.
- Flour – to thicken the broth
- Chicken broth – the savory flavor base
- Tomatoes – diced tomatoes are canned at the peak of ripeness. Fire roasted diced tomatoes would work great in here too!
- Oregano – one of my favorite pantry seasonings
- Orzo – this rice-shaped pasta makes the soup hearty
- Heavy cream – for the velvety broth
- Spinach – it adds a pop of freshness
Pro tip
- The orzo cooks right in the soup and helps thicken the broth a bit as it cooks. The soup will soak up the broth the longer it sits, so if you’re not planning on eating most of it within a day or so, you may want to cook the orzo separately and add it in when reheating!
How to make Italian sausage orzo soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Sauté the sausage meat in a large soup pot until browned. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, leaving a little fat behind. Add the onion and celery, cooking until softened, then stir in the flour and garlic until fragrant.
Pour in the chicken broth slowly, and stir until the flour dissolves completely. Add the tomatoes and oregano, then return the sausage to the pot. Bring to a gentle boil.
Add in the cream and orzo. Simmer the soup, giving it an occasional stir, until the orzo is cooked. Add in the fresh spinach, and season as needed with salt & pepper.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use this Dutch oven for many of my soups.
- I store flour in this airtight OXO container to keep it fresh.
- This soup ladle is very sturdy and makes for easier cleanup.
Substitutions and variations
- Use spicy Italian sausage or add some crushed red pepper flakes if you want a touch of heat.
- Don’t sub the cream for a lower fat alternative like milk or half-and-half as it’s likely to curdle due to the heat the soup is cooked at as well as the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Kale would work instead of the spinach, but I’d add it in earlier as it takes longer to soften.
- You could use ground beef instead of sausage, but you may need to up the seasonings to ensure it’s nice and flavorful.
What to serve with sausage orzo soup
- It’s a filling soup, so pair it with a slice of fresh crusty bread or a dinner roll, and you’re good. Garlic Bread is always a good idea, though!
- For a fresh pairing, make my Homemade Italian Dressing with spring mix, or go all out with a Caesar salad and my 10-Minute Caesar Dressing and Garlic Parmesan Croutons.
Leftovers and storage
- This soup will be good for 3-4 days in the fridge, but the orzo will soak up the broth the longer it sits, so you may need to add a splash more chicken broth and/or cream to leftovers. If you’re planning on having lots of leftovers or freezing the soup, I would cook the orzo separately and add it in while reheating.
- If you want to freeze a batch of this soup, I would wait to add the cream, orzo, and spinach until reheating. Leftovers can be frozen as-is, but the texture of the broth and pasta may change (it should still taste good).
If you made this creamy sausage orzo soup recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you made any of my recipes.
Italian Sausage Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Italian sausage see note
- 1/2 medium onion chopped finely
- 2 sticks celery chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach optional
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the sausage meat to a large soup pot. Sauté over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned (about 7-10 min).
- Take the sausage out of the pot and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Leave about a tablespoon of the fat in the pot (drain any excess).
- Add the onion and celery to the pot and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the flour and garlic and cook for a minute, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add the chicken broth and stir until the flour has completely dissolved.
- Add the canned tomatoes and oregano to the pot, and also add the sausage back in. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a gentle boil.
- Once it's gently boiling, add the cream and orzo. Reduce the heat as needed and simmer for about 12 minutes or until the orzo is tender, stirring fairly often so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the spinach and season with salt & pepper as needed.
Notes
- The orzo will soak up the liquid the longer it sits! If you’re planning on having most of this as leftovers, I recommend cooking the orzo separately and adding it when reheating. See more storage/leftovers tips in the blog post.
- For the sausages, anything around the 16 ounce/1 pound ballpark is fine – it doesn’t need to be exact. You can either buy ground sausage meat or, if using whole sausages, take the meat out of the casings.
- Do not sub the cream for anything lower fat – it’s likely to curdle due to the acidity of the tomatoes and the high heat this soup is cooked at.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was good. Really good. I have to admit I was a tad nervous. At the time I made this reciepe few reviews had been posted, but the ones that were up seemed legit so we went for it. Glad I did. I’m adding this recipe to the rotation.
I took your advice and used the fire roasted tomatoes we had on hand. I also heeded your advice and cooked the pasta separately and added it to individual portions. I ladled a couple scoops of pasta water into the soup at the end of cooking. I had a small parm cheese rind and I tossed it in with the chicken broth.
One thing to note: Used mild Italian sausage links (1.25 lbs) and it was not cooking up that well so I added some olive oil to keep it from sticking. Went heavier with the white onion because of the extra sausage.
I’m a fan. Thank you.
Hi Al! This recipe was just published 6 days ago, and sometimes people make recipes and don’t write reviews… that is one of the reasons why small business owners such as myself are very grateful when people take the time to write them. 🙂 Thanks for your review, and I am glad you enjoyed the soup. Thanks for sharing your tips!
I’m new to your website and love it! If I am also newly gluten free. What would you recommend to substitute for the flour?
Hi! I’m glad you found me! 😀 I’d use gluten-free orzo (DeLallo makes some), and add a cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken the soup.
Maureen,
I’ve been cooking gluten free for awhile and always use gf flour for a roux and it works just fine to thicken. I use Trader Joe’s gf flour bc it typically doesn’t have the xanthan gum added which makes for a better roux, but even if you have a flour mix w it, it turns out ok. Hope its helpful!
It was SUPER GOOD but I definitely suggest tapering back on the noodles. It went from soup to mush in less than an hour. Probably don’t need a cup. It really doesn’t add much but texture and substance anyway. Even going without noodles, it would be just as amazing.
I’m glad you liked it! Yup, you could definitely skip or reduce the orzo next time. 🙂
This was so simple and comforting! Will definitely be making it again 🙂
I’m so glad to hear it, Jenna!
I made this last night and it was so good. This will definitely be in my Autumn rotation of soups to make and freeze for later.
Fantastic!! 😀
Honestly this was so easy and so delicious! I substituted the sausage for chicken sausage and the heavy cream for half and half. My husband loved it! I will make this again and again!
I’m so happy to hear it, Heidi!! Appreciate your 5-star review! 😀
Loved! Delicious and filling.
Excellent!! 😀 Thanks for letting me know, Holly!
made this tonight for our family of 4 – it is SO tasty and easy to make. serving with a side of garlic bread.
Yay!! I’m thrilled to hear it. 😀
Looks and sounds so good! Can I use tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes?!
Hi! You could, but keep in mind the soup will be a bit thicker, so you may need to add some more liquid. Let me know how it goes!
This is a very easy recipe. It is delicious. I also decided to add 1 can of cannellini beans. I also don’t us cream so I used 2% milk and it did not curdle. Thanks for the recipe.
Valerie
I’m so glad it worked out for you, Valerie! 😀 Thanks for your review!