Spicy sausage and sundried tomato orzo

A speedy 15 minute meal that does not lack in flavour. This pasta dish packs a punch with a spicy chorizo style sausage and the deep rich flavour of sundried tomato paired with orzo. You don't want to miss this one!

Whenever I want a quick and easy meal I’m always drawn to pasta as my first thought. But obviously me being me I have to make something that looks like it took ages to make with a garnish to make it look fancy. So if you want to impress with minimal effort give this one a go! In my house I have every pasta shape you could imagine so on pasta night the pasta shape is always different. I personally love orzo, the feel of rice but is actually a pasta, you can spoon it up with loads of sauce its carby and delicious- what a winner. Sundried tomatoes really pack some deep flavour and give the pasta sauce a luxury slow cooked feel. Lastly your bog standard vegan sausage gets a really good glow up for this dish, coating it in paprika and chilli flakes gives the sausage a glam chorizo style makeover when really they are just normal cheap sausages! The ingredients of this dish marry together perfectly giving you a flavour packed midweek meal that will be your go to when you’ve only got 15 minutes of cooking energy left in you. I hope you love this one as much as me!

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Ingredients and substitutes-

• Sausages- For pasta recipes I tend to use a more meaty style sausage as they are soft and juicy but also hold their structure well when cooked in a creamy pasta sauce. Some sausages can be quite dry and don’t work so well. I used Richmond brand meatless sausages in particular for this recipe but I also love tesco plant chef Cumberland or Sainsburys shroom dogs. Feel free to substitute the sausages for your favourite however be aware they may break down a bit and you wont have sausage like chunks. You may also just leave out the sausages if meat substitutes aren’t your thing.

• Sundried tomatoes- I recommend that come in a jar of oil due to their softness. If you have dry tomatoes then rehydrate them in hot water first to ensure they’re soft. You can also use sundried tomato paste or regular tomato paste can be used but the flavour wont be as rich and concentrated as the sundried tomatoes.

• Cashew nuts- Cashews give the sauce that lovely creamy texture. If you have a nut allergy or don’t want to use nuts sunflower seeds can be substituted. You can also just use any vegan shop bought cream such as soy or oat.

• Orzo- I used orzo for this dish however the recipe can be used with any other pasta so feel free to use what you like.

• Paprika & Chilli flakes- This combination of spices slightly resembles a chorizo style seasoning which makes an ordinary vegan sausage pop with a smoky spicy flavour. If you are not a spice fan feel free to leave out the chilli.

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Top Tips!

Pasta water-

Make sure to reserve all of the pasta water for thickening the sauce. You may not need it all but the starch loaded water works fabulous as a sauce thickener and is well worth saving.

Spice level-

I find one teaspoon of chilli flakes (NOT chilli powder) give the sausages a nice flavour and little spicy kick without being too spicy however if you really cant do spice feel free to give the chillis a miss!

Blending the sauce-

I love a perfectly smooth pasta sauce for this one so I use a high speed blender that ensures the cashew nuts blend perfectly smooth and the sauce is lump free. If you don’t have a blender I recommend using vegan cream and sundried tomato paste instead so your sauce can also be lump free!

And now for the recipe!

Spicy sausage and sundried tomato orzo

Serves- 2 Time- 15 minutes

Ingredients-

• 6 Vegan sausages

• 1 Onion, diced

• 50g Jarred sundried tomatoes

• 50g Raw cashew nuts

• 1tbsp Nutritional yeast

• 250g Orzo (dry weight)

• 1 Clove garlic

• 1tbsp Tomato puree

• 1tsp Paprika

• 1tsp Chilli flakes

• 50g Parmesan + more for garnish

• Chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Method-

1. Pop the orzo in some boiling water and cook to packet instructions. Once cooked drain and reserve the cooking water.

2. Next break up the sausages into bite sized pieces with your fingers.

3. Heat up some oil and fry the sausages until browned.

4. Turn the heat down and add the paprika and chilli flakes, stir well to coat the sausage pieces. Take these out and set aside.

5. In the same pan as you cooked the sausages fry off the diced onion until soft. Set these aside in the same bowl as the sausages.

6. Now for the sauce- in a high speed blender add the sundried tomatoes, garlic, cashew nuts, nutritional yeast, tomato puree and some of the orzo cooking for consistency. Blend until a paste is formed.

7. Add the paste into the pan gradually adding pasta water until a creamy sauce is formed then add the 50g of parmesan.

8. Lastly pop the sausages, onion and the cooked orzo into the pan with the sauce mix well and heat through.

9. Season to taste then serve up topped with some more parmesan and chopped parsley.

FAQ-

·         What is orzo?- Orzo is a small diamond shaped pasta that some people could mistake for rice however it is pasta. I personally love orzo because you can get a good coating of sauce on each grain unlike big pasta where some bits may not have sauce on. I also find different pasta shapes fun even as a fully grown adult! If you haven’t tried orzo yet I recommend to try it!

·         Can I reheat this?- Orzo does reheat better than bigger pasta shapes however it may be a little more stodgy than when first cooked. If you are going to reheat be sure to cover the container or bowl when reheating so as to steam the pasta and revive a bit of that moisture. I’d also like to note that I find it hard to not eat all in one night so make sure to cook extra if you are taking it for lunch the next day.

Why not try these other pasta recipes?

• Chickpea tuna pasta salad

• Jackfruit ragu pappardelle

• Mac n cheese with tempeh bacon

Did you make this recipe?

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Click here to watch the recipe video

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