Originally posted 5/30/28; updated 5/31/20
This Sausage Orzo Soup a tasty meal for a chilly, winter's day. And the flavor is addicting. We even kept snacking on it cold throughout the night, long after dinner. This soup also only requires two big dishes, which is a bonus. So, clean-up isn't a big deal.
Veggies, Veggies and more Veggies!
While the soup already contains a lot of veggies, I chose to add kale to mine. Maybe it's my west-coastiness and the need to green-ify everything. Who knows?! But I do believe it really added some good flavor and texture to the soup, not to mention that the green is a beautiful color pop in the pot. My kids aren't big fans of leafy greens, but because kale holds it shape so well, they just picked it out or ate around it. I also served the soup with garlic bread on the side, and feel it was the perfect addition. I just bought a locally made loaf that only required 10 minutes of baking. But I'm also a huge fan of the good ol' frozen Pepperidge Farm Garlic Bread Loaf. Omg, I could eat the whole loaf myself. Buy two of those if you're gonna do it! The garlic bread was totally my 2-year old's idea, by the way. I mean, give credit where credit's due.
The cool thing about the sausage orzo soup is what happens to the leftovers. If you have any leftovers, you'll find that the orzo will soaks up ALL the broth overnight. What's left is sort of a rice dish. So, the next day, you can add broth and have soup again. OR you can eat the dish as-is. I prefer to eat the leftovers as a rice-like dish because (a) everybody gets bored with leftovers and this is like a whole new dish!, and (b) my kids actually liked it better because they could pick out the parts they liked (and didn't like!) more easily. Enjoy!
Ways to customize Your Sausage orzo soup
It's super simple to make this soup dairy free. Just don't sprinkle andy cheese on top of the soup! And don't serve garlic bread that has cheese atop. To make the soup gluten free, simply replace the orzo with rice. Make sure the broth you're using doesn't contain traces of gluten. And instead of garlic bread, serve a salad on the side. That's healthier anyway 🙂
How kids can help make sausage orzo soup
This dish involves many kid-friendly tasks. Here are some ways for your lil' sous chefs to help out:
- Peel carrots. This is a fun challenge for older children. We like this Veggie Peeler.
- Cut leaves off kale stems using scissors or Kitchen Shears.
- Break up sausage using a Potato Masher.
- Taste the pasta! Let kids decide if the orzo is done. Hungry toddlers love this job!
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Final Tips To ensure smooth sailing!
Mimi's Cooking Tips:
Need cooking advice? Check out these tips from our in-house expert/Mom:
🍅 Use a Potato Masher to break up sausage as it cooks.
🍅 Cut leaves off kale stems using scissors or Kitchen Shears.
🍅 Cut veggies into small pieces to help them cook and soften more quickly.
OUR "kidify" Tips:
Have picky eaters? We can help.
🍅Swap the veggies. Try exchanging some veggies in the soup for ones your kids prefer. Or increase/decrease veggies in the recipe. Marcie's family loves corn, so she added 1/2 cup more.
🍅Pick another pasta. Swap the orzo for your kids' favorite noodles, i.e. rotini or penne. If that gets them more pumped to eat dinner, it's totally worth it.
🍅Ditch the kale. I literally had to fish the "yucky green stuff" (aka kale) out of my daughter's soup bowl because it freaked her out. Consider omitting the kale completely. Or, scoop the soup into your kids' bowls before you add the kale to the pot.
🍅Add some carbs! You can have some bread, toast, or crackers with the soup. Marcie's kids liked to add goldfish crackers to their soup and dip toast into the broth.
Note: This post contains affiliate links.
Sausage Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 48 oz chicken broth/stock
- 2 medium carrots (chopped)
- 1 cup whole kernel, yellow corn (frozen or canned/drained)
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 1/2 T dried thyme
- 1/2 T dried oregano
- 2 t cumin
- 1 - 2 T cooking oil
- 1/2 large onion (chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 1/2 t garlic (minced)
- 1 lb bulk mild sausage, ground
- 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta, uncooked
- 1 loaf garlic bread (optional)
- 2 cups kale, stalks removed & chopped (optional)
- shredded parmesan cheese (optional, to sprinkle atop soup)
Instructions
- Pour chicken stock into a 5 qt pot (my fave pot!). Add chopped carrots, corn, diced tomatoes, thyme, oregano, and cumin. Bring the soup mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- While the soup is cooking, heat oil in medium-large pan (my absolute fave!) at medium heat. Add onion and celery to pan and cook for two minutes.
- Stir in garlic, and then add sausage. Cook the sausage until it’s no longer pink, breaking it up into smaller chunks as it cooks.
- Add the pan contents to the boiling soup mixture. Add orzo and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.{Optional: 5 minutes before you're ready to serve soup, add kale to pot & stir}{Optional: heat garlic bread in oven, according to product instructions}
Notes
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. While we are not certified nutritionists, we work with a Wordpress-integrated nutrition API to calculate our recipes' ingredient values.
Other Soups You Might Enjoy
🍅 The Best Butternut Squash Soup
🍅 Yummy White Bean and Vegetable Soup
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