One pan meal lovers, this incredible recipe is for YOU. This is one of those dinners you can come back to when you want to pack in the veggies and protein, but want something cozy, nourishing, and that the kiddos will actually enjoy.
My one pan zucchini sausage baked orzo is filled with two whole zucchini and a rainbow of veggies, protein and savory flavor from hot Italian sausage, and is topped with two types of cheese for a comforting meal that will warm you from the inside out.
There are tons of easy ways to customize this wonderful baked orzo dish, so be sure to read through the post and make it your own! Don’t skip the garnishes — they’ll take this dinner to the next level.
Everything you’ll need to make this zucchini and sausage baked orzo
Savory sausage, a rainbow of veggies, tender pasta, and gooey cheese. What more could you want in a cozy dish? Here’s everything you’ll need to make this zucchini sausage baked orzo:
- Sausage: I like to use hot Italian sausage for a delicious kick of heat, but feel free to use your favorite ground sausage!
- Produce: not only are we packing in two whole zucchini, but we’re also adding yellow onion, a red bell pepper, and sweet corn for a wonderful veggie boost. You’ll need fresh garlic and lemon juice as well.
- Seasoning: all you’ll need is plenty of salt and pepper to bring out the flavors!
- Orzo: the core to this baked orzo dish, of course! I love how easy it is to bake up and scoop with the veggies and sausage.
- Broth: you’ll need some chicken broth to cook the orzo.
- Cheese: we’re mixing mozzarella cheese right in with the orzo, then adding more on top with crumbled feta for plenty of cheesy, savory goodness.
- To garnish: I love topping the pan with hot honey for a little sweetness, fresh basil, lemon zest, and flaky sea salt.
Customize this zucchini sausage orzo bake
There are tons of easy ways to make this baked orzo your own! Here’s what I can suggest:
- Try a new meat: Feel free to use any ground meat you like, though I do recommend sticking with a meat that is packed with flavor. You could try using cubed chicken instead of sausage (try seasoning it with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika and salt and pepper while cooking!)
- Choose your veggies: This recipe works well with pretty much any veggies you’d like! Feel free to add a few handfuls of spinach or mushrooms, too!
Can I make it vegetarian?
Absolutely! Simply omit the sausage and just mix in the veggies for a veggie-packed baked orzo, or swap the sausage for a can of white beans or chickpeas to get the extra boost of protein. You may need to amp up the spices and add extra salt to the dish as well!
What about gluten-free?
Use a gluten-free orzo to keep it gluten-free.
Delicious zucchini sausage baked orzo in 5 steps
- Cook the sausage. Start by fully cooking the sausage in a braiser or large skillet, breaking it up into large chunks as you cook. Transfer it to a plate and set it aside.
- Sauté the veggies. In the same skillet, cook down all of the veggies until the liquid from the zucchini has released and the pan is mostly dry.
- Add the pasta & bake. Stir in the orzo, chicken broth, lemon juice, and seasonings, then fold the sausage into the mixture and bake the whole skillet until the orzo is cooked.
- Cheese it up. Stir some mozzarella into the cooked orzo mixture, then top the skillet with more mozzarella and crumbled feta. Bake it again until the cheese melts, then broil it for a few minutes to get it nice and golden.
- Garnish & serve. Top the sausage baked orzo with hot honey, basil, lemon zest, and flaky salt if you’d like, then serve and enjoy!
Storing tips
Store any leftover zucchini sausage baked orzo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Simply reheat in the microwave.
More one pan meals you’ll love
- One Pan Southwest Chicken and Rice Fajita Skillet
- Firecracker Chicken Meatballs with Cilantro Coconut Pineapple Rice
- One Pan Sazon Skillet Chicken
- One Pan Tomato Basil Baked Orzo
- Sheet Pan Zucchini Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Curry Sauce
Get all of my one pan meals here!
I hope you love this zucchini and sausage baked orzo! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Zucchini & Sausage Baked Orzo with Hot Honey & Feta
Ingredients
- For the sausage and zucchini:
- 1 pound hot italian sausage
- 2 medium to medium-large zucchini, shredded
- ½ large yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup sweet corn, fresh or frozen
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the orzo:
- 1 pound orzo
- 3 ½ cups chicken broth
- Juice from ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or Cheddar or Italian blend), divided
- 4 to 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- Toppings:
- Hot honey, for drizzling
- Small basil leaves (or julienned basil)
- Lemon zest, from 1 small lemon
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cook the sausage: Place a large braiser or large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Remove the casing of the sausage and add it to the hot pan. Use a wooden spoon to break apart the meat, still leaving somewhat large chunks. You don’t want ‘crumbled sausage’, the goal is to have larger bites of sausage in the orzo. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is nice and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the sausage to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add in olive oil, if necessary, and immediately add in the zucchini, onion, bell pepper, corn, garlic and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is somewhat caramelized and the liquid from the zucchini releases and cooks down so that the pan starts to become dry, about 10 minutes.
- Add the orzo, chicken broth, lemon juice, salt and black pepper to the pan and stir until well combined. Fold the sausage back into the mixture.
- Bake uncovered until the liquid is mostly absorbed and pasta is cooked though, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and stir 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese into the orzo then smooth evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and crumbled feta on top. Place the skillet back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes. Switch oven to the broiler, and broil until the cheese is slightly golden in places, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with a generous drizzle of hot honey, basil, lemon zest, flaky sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately with extra hot honey for drizzling. Serves 6-8.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on October 7th, 2024, and republished on August 3rd, 2025.
This was insanely good!! Made enough for left overs! Both my teens enjoyed it too!! What a great weekday meal!!
So happy to hear that!
Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out amazing! My husband loved it and this recipe is a keeper.
So happy to hear that!
It was a hit! Subbed leeks for white onion, and followed the recipe exactly, but halved. My picky toddler loved it, so THANK YOU!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
This dish was as easy as it is delicious! I used ground chicken and spiced it up with 1T Paprika,, 1 T red pepper flakes and 1t fennel seed (plus salt). I meant to stir in some chopped spinach right at the end but it was fantastic even without. I’ll make this again, often!
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
Amazing! So many layers of flavors and I love how many veggies are in it. Will be in regular rotation now!
Absolutely! One of our new fav dinners 🙂
This was a delicious and easy recipe for my family with two kids(ages 5 and 3). AK recipes are so approachable and she(Monique) is so relatable. Her new cookbook is beautiful and I’ve made many recipes so far, all wonderful. Thank you! You save dinner for so many families 🙂
Thank you so much, Kristin! Happy to hear you’re finding recipes here and in the cookbook that you love 🙂
This was sooooooo good! Amazing!
So glad you loved it!!
Made this for dinner the other night and my husband said it was “bonkers good”. Have to say I agree, one of my favorite AK recipes to date!
Haha love that! One of our new favs, too 🙂
Delicious recipe, but I have to note that the cook time says 20 minutes up top, but if you take the minimum cook time from each step, it adds up to 33 minutes, so it’s going to take longer than the recipe lets on from the top.
Thank you for the catch! I’ve updated accordingly. Glad you enjoyed!
Another recipe added to favorites! I love how easy it is to customize this based on tastes / what o have on hand. I swapped diced chicken thighs for the sausage (just baked them in the oven while prepping the other ingredients), added a couple tsps of Italian seasoning and used a combo on harvati and fontina for the cheese. It was a hit with little kids and adults. TRY IT!
Absolutely! So happy everyone loved it!
Love this dish – so good and have made it twice in past few weeks! My toddler loves it too (minus hot honey for him). Do you have recommendation for prepping this in advance to bring to a new mom friend? Would it freeze well? Should we only do first part of baking? Thanks!
Amazing!! And great question. I’d recommend cooking it all the way through (except the broiling) then cooling it and freezing it. They can thaw it and reheat in the oven!
This was so delicious! 1x recipe ended up making 7 to 8 servings. I swapped sausage for vegan links and it was still delicious, Also swapped chicken broth for veggie broth, Very easy recipe to make vegetarian! Loved the flavors and the hot honey on top really upleveled this recipe.
Perfect! So glad it was a hit!
This recipe was incredible. My husband loved it. I especially like the sneaky way that the zucchini just blends in perfectly with the orzo, so even if you don’t think you like zucchini, you honestly won’t even notice it. The spicy Italian sausage is key—- the flavor of the sausage permeates through the dish as it cooks and adds all the right flavors. The only note I have is that I had to cook mine longer in the oven for the orzo to fully cook. Also you should put way more hot honey on top than you think is enough—made it over the top perfect! Will be making this again soon.
So glad you both loved it! One of our new favorite dinners 🙂 and I’m all about extra hot honey.
This is a delicious and versatile recipe! I have an allergy to cow dairy so I replace the cheese with a creamy goat cheese. I’ve made it twice and it has been a big crowd pleaser with my four year old as well. The second time I made it with Israeli couscous (because my husband brought this home instead of orzo) and it still turned out well! It does take longer in my oven than the recipe indicates, but it does cook down eventually
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
This is delicious! I felt a cold coming on and wanted to make something filling and nutritious I can heat up easily for the next few days, and this was perfect. Came together super easily. I love how many veggies are in it! Will probably add a handful of spinach next time. My orzo did take 10 minutes longer than stated to cook all the way, as some other reviews mentioned. Also, I used fresh mozzarella instead of shredded and added red pepper flakes and paprika. Will definitely make this again!
So glad you enjoyed, and hope you’re feeling better!
I made this for dinner tonight. SO GOOD!!! It reminds me of risotto, without all the work.
YES agreed! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
This has become one of my go-to meal prep recipes. I love that you use one pan! I have adapted it to just cook on the stove. Once adding the broth, I cover and simmer on low till the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is cooked. This is a delicious dinner that we love!
Amazing! Perfect weeknight meal 🙂
This was amazing. So many veggies and spicy Italian sausage gave it great flavor. My husband loved it tho he loves all your recipes 😊. Followed recipe but didn’t have lemons so left that out. Topped it with a habanero honey. Will definitely make again. Love all the leftovers it makes.
Absolutely! So glad you both loved it!
This recipe is a 12/10!!!! With the spring weather finally here I was craving something new. My husband was skeptical when I said zucchini but he and I both devoured it and cannot wait for leftovers! Thank you for creating such a veggie and protein packed meal that is unique and flavorful! This will definitely be in our regular rotation!
So good!! Glad you both enjoyed!
Made this dish last night for my family and everyone loved it! It’s packed with veggies (my hubby and toddler couldn’t even tell there was zucchini in it!), and has the perfect balance of salty, herby and sweet with the hot honey. I used ground pork and added in italian seasoning, garlic powder and paprika to season it, because I couldn’t find sausage meat. I’ll definitely be making this recipe again soon!
Amazing! So happy everyone loved it!
This was a delicious meal! I did not add in the corn as that does not sit well with me. I used a cast iron skillet, though the orzo took about 15-20 mins longer to cook up. Next time I may try to bake it with a lid on it. I do seem to always run into this same issue when following one pot recipes that call for baking pasta or rice, not sure why.
So glad you enjoyed! Hmm, I’m not sure why the orzo took double the time to cook, but happy to hear it still worked out. Let me know if you try it with the lid on and it cooks faster for you!
Used Chick Peas instead of sausage. Saved a step and made it healthier. Used a combo of Mozz, Cheddar, Asiago and Feta. It was delicious and the leftovers are also fantastic.
Perfect! I’m glad those swaps worked out well!
This recipe is sooo good. 3 of us finished the whole dish in 1 meal. The sausage you use definitely influences the dish. It was soo incredible. No notes
Absolutely delicious! I subbed ground turkey with sausage seasoning and my family didn’t even notice it wasn’t sausage. So easy to prep . I grated the zucchini in the AM and let it sit out all day so it would dry out a bit.
We made this just as written and it was fantastic! The hot honey at the end was perfect!
So glad it was a hit!!
This is amazing! Or as my husband said, “insanely delicious!” For our own preference, I subbed an 8oz container of mushrooms for corn, and used ricotta instead of feta. Will be making again!!
So happy to hear that! One of our fav dinners, too 🙂
Really really really delicious and such a hit in my house! Came together quickly too and much of the time is hands off. Thank you for this wonderful recipe (which I followed exactly as written). Make this! You won’t regret it.
One of our all-time favs, too! Glad everyone loved it!
Love, love, loved this! Really easy to make and is delicious freshly cooked and reheated as leftovers. I didn’t use feta but added extra mozzarella and it worked brilliantly.
The perfect dinner! Glad you loved it!
Holy Hell this was good! Will definitely make again and again!!
So glad you loved it!!
Amazing flavors! Husband gave two thumbs up and said “mmm” more than once! This will be in the comfort meal rotation for sure.😋
So happy to hear that!
I’ve made this several times and it’s always so good. Today I accidentally forget to get orzo so I subbed a pound of Arborio rice and increased the broth to 4 cups. Next time I’ll probably reduce the amount of rice bc it made a TON but it was still delicious!! Super versatile and can work with what you have (or don’t)!!
I’m glad that swap worked out well! Such a great dinner 🙂
What a flavor bomb! So tasty and easy. I halved the shredded cheese and it was still plenty cheesy.
So glad you loved it!
super yummy and easy recipe to make on a weeknight! my husband loves it! Since it’s just us two that I make dinner for, I only use half pound orzo and 1.75 cups chicken broth. we get 6 servings out of it!
Perfect weeknight dinner!
This looks amazing! I love your recipes. Could rice or a different pasta be substituted for orzo? I’m gluten free and can’t find gf orzo where I am.
Yes! 1 3/4 cups rice should work as a replacement!
This orzo recipe looks so good I’m trying it today!
Hope you loved it!!
Delicious and easy!
Glad you enjoyed!
I usually never write a review but this time oooooo my it was to good not to!!!! Ion 16 years old and did this recipe for my family and they loved it. It will surely become one of our go to’s during our week. I even made it to my grandparents, which aren’t fan of new food and ways to cook and they loved it !!!!!!!! Definitely go try it!!!! I even used deer sausage and it was delicious!!!!
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
I love this recipe. The hot honey with the sausage and cheese is *chef’s kiss.* Plus, love all the veggies that get folded in.
YES so good!!
This is so good! I used whole wheat orzo for extra nutrients. I was nervous about making it as my meal prep for the week and getting tired of it…but man even after eating it every day for a week, I was so sad when it was gone!
One of my favs, too! So glad you loved it!
This was so tasty! As a gluten free household we used banza “orzo”, which worked just fine (although it needed less time in the oven, since chickpea “orzo” cooks quicker). Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and it was a hit! Will definitely make again.
Perfect! Glad it was a hit!
This was so tasty!
So glad you enjoyed!
One of my top faves! So easy to make an amazing for leftovers
Ours, too! Glad you love it!
Such a unique twist to the classic orzo one pot dishes! I didn’t have corn or feta and made without (just put parm shavings on top), and it came out truly delicious. Amazing leftovers too.
Perfect!!
This is an absolute family favorite recipe- I sneak in riced cauliflower and peel the outside of the zucchini so that my kids don’t see the green (*sigh*). Anyway, this is a great way to get extra veggies in since the orzo and sausage hide a lot of it. Delicous!
Love it! Great way to sneak in veggies!
Truly one of the best meals!
So glad you love it!
Such a stunning dish – full of flavour, always a go to for meal prepping!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂