Orzo, Italian Sausage, White Beans
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I do something a little bit out of the ordinary (for America). If we were in Italy, it would be normal and no big deal. I make a REAL lunch for the twins. They are steeped in mountain bike training, muscular but thin and wiry and need as many calories as possible. But it needs to be whole food, real food that actually feeds the body.
For the last few years, I’ve been making them lunch at least three days a week. It’s become a thing and to make it even more special, we do a bible study at the lunch table. It’s become a core memory for all of us, feeding the body, feeding the soul.
These lunches take less than an hour, and sometimes are simply left-over dinners reheated and redone.
Orzo with Italian Sausage and White Beans (Cannellini Beans) is a perfect pre-ride lunch, full of carbs, protein and flavor. It only took 30 minutes to make and not one bite was left in the pan.
Orzo will absorb a LOT of liquid so make sure you do not throw out the pasta water. Keep adding until you get
Today, I had some spicy Italian sausage, (loose), white cannellini beans, passata, orzo, heavy cream, chicken broth, and a little white wine. The beans, passata and pasta are staples. You can make very quick meals with these ingredients. The sausage was a plus and we happened to have it. Of course, this dish started with sofrito, that is carrots, onion and celery.
The boys absolutely love this pasta dish of white beans and rigatoni and want it every week. This is kind of a spin on that. It’s easy comfort food, and even though it’s now Spring, there’s always time for the kind of food that makes you happy.
You might not know what passata is. You will find it in jars in the grocery store next to canned tomatoes. I like this because, you can use just the amount you want and then keep in refrigerator for at least a week.
Ingredients for Sausage Bean Pasta Recipe
- Italian Sausage
- Passata (found in jars, a tomato puree)
- Cannellini Beans
- Orzo
- White Wine
- Chicken Broth
- Heavy Cream
- Rosemary
- Garlic
More Pasta Recipes from Spinach Tiger
- Pasta with Peas and Bacon
- Tuscan White Beans Pasta
- How to Cook Pasta like an Italian
- Hearty Itakian Beef Rigatoni
Orzo Sausage Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Loose Italian Sausage
- 1 pound Italian Sausage
- 1 can Cannellini Beans
- 1 cup Tomato Passata
- 1/3 cup white wine optional
- 1 pound Orzo Pasta
- 1/2 cup Heavy cream
- 2 sprigs Rosemary
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Cheese at the table
Instructions
- Begin this dish by boiling a large pot of water for the orzo. (Begin this, while cooking sausage in another pot). Cook pasta until al dente. Do not throw out pasta water, which will be added to dish.
- Heat oil in large frying pan or dutch oven, (large enough to fit the sausage and pound of pasta.
- Sauté garlic cloves until golden. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces and cooking all way through.
- Remove garlic cloves. Add passata, which will be just enough to mix into sausage. This is not a tomato sauce dish. Add in sprigs of rosemary.
- Add white wine if using and cook down on low for about ten minutes to cook off alcohol.
- Rinse can of beans. Add to dish.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add in orzo pasta. Mix thoroughly and add one ladle of pasta water. The starchy pasta water will help to thicken. You might need to add more passata. You can judge this if you think you need more. I never add more than one cup.
- Stir in heavy cream at the end.
- Serve with grated pecorino cheese.
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