This Pasture Raised Italian Sausage and Orzo Soup is easy, nourishing, and absolutely irresistible! It all starts with a nutrient-rich, healing homemade chicken broth – which is always the right move when making soup. A creamy tomato broth and delicate orzo pasta round things out, plus some baby spinach to get those greens in. Recipe for chicken broth and all the incredible benefits can be found here. Let's get cooking! 

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Lb. 1915 Farm Pasture Raised Pork Italian Sausage or Chicken Italian Sausage
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 sticks of celery, finely diced
• Kosher salt 
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, finely minced or grated
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 4-5 cups pasture raised chicken broth (start with 4 cups)
• 1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes, preferably the fire roasted variety
• 1 sprig of thyme, leaves stripped from stem and finely minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1-2 cups fresh baby spinach, optional
• Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano, for serving
• Crushed red pepper flakes, optional, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Place a large heavy pot or 4 qt. dutch oven over medium heat. Once the pot is hot, increase heat to medium-high and add a splash of olive oil followed by the Italian sausage. Brown the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Remove to a bowl, set aside.

Add another splash of olive oil to the same pot followed by the onions and celery. Season with a large pinch of kosher salt. Sauté for 7-10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and starting to caramelize.

Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Next, make a space in the middle of the vegetables for the tomato paste. Let that cook, untouched, for 3-4 minutes to caramelize and bring out deepen in flavor, before stirring to combine.

Add the white wine and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook until wine has reduced completely, 2-3 minutes. Add thyme and oregano and cook until fragrant.

Slowly pour in the crushed tomatoes, the cooked Italian sausage, and 4 cups of pasture raised chicken broth. Season with a couple of large pinches of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, with a lid slightly cracked. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you're in a rush, simmer time can be reduced but it really helps intensify the flavors and all the tomatoes to break down a bit.

Bring soup back to a boil and add orzo and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until orzo is tender. Stir often to reduce orzo sticking to bottom of pot. 

Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. At this point, you may wish to add a little more broth, depending on your preference for how soupy you'd like this. Taste for seasoning and add salt (especially if you added more broth), and freshly ground pepper as needed. Just before serving, stir in spinach leaves and let soften a moment before ladleing soup into bowls. Top with freshly grated parm and crushed red pepper flakes if desired. 

A note about leftovers: if you plan to have a lot of leftovers, you may want to cook the orzo separately and stir into the soup as you're reheating to serve. This way, the orzo won't soak up too much of a broth and become soggy. 

We hope you enjoy this recipe! If you’d like to share your delicious dish on Instagram, don’t forget to tag us @1915_Farm

P.S. If you love our pasture raised pork sausage – consider subscribing to the new Grassroots Meat Club (ships free in TX, reduced in other states). Each box includes a variety of hand-selected grassfed and pasture raised meats, such as chicken breasts, chicken tenders, leg quarters, wings, thighs, drumsticks, whole chicken, ground beef, kabobs, stew meat, stir fry, cutlets, London broil (top round), beef roasts, beef ossobuco, short ribs, various sausages, pork roasts, pork chops, bacon, ground pork, fajita meat, country style ribs, spare ribs, and bacon!