Creamy Butternut Squash with Chicken and Italian Sausage + Spinach and Orzo soup

Creamy Butternut Squash with Chicken and Italian Sausage + Spinach and Orzo soup

This is savory and spicy. Hearty and simple. Filled with deep flavor in the Winter while channeling parts of Summer. Need I say more?

This meal takes roughly 45 minutes in total and is made in one pot; making is super easy for any night of the week. Grab a large pot and let’s go.

Serves 6-8 plentiful servings

16 oz spicy Italian sausage; we use crumbled

1lb of chicken breast, cubed or shredded

5 cups chicken stock = one 12 ounce container * for more depth we use bone broth

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Freshly dehydrated red pepper flakes to taste; we do 2-3 heavy pinches/ less if you don’t care for spice, one or two more if you want to make it hot!

1 cup orzo *uncooked

4-5 cloves garlic minced or 1-2 heaping tablespoons of pre-minced garlic

One large butternut squash peeled and cubed

6-8 oz fresh spinach

½ cup heavy cream

For topping:

⅓ cup Parmesan cheese shaved

To start, heat a tablespoon of oil of your choosing in a large pot or deep pan. Remember, this is a one pot dish. Add your chicken breasts first, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. You can cube the chicken prior to adding, or shred after the breasts are fully cooked.  We like to cube them into small bite size pieces. Now add your Italian sausage to the same pan.

 

Once the meat is almost fully cooked and the juices from the sausage have dispersed in the pan add your orzo and let it cook for 2-3 minutes, frequently stirring. Add in the garlic and seasonings as well.

Once the orzo is browned or after 3 minutes add your chicken stock and butternut squash and bring to a boil. Cover and then let it simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the squash has cooked. * It will be like a mashed potato once cooked.

Uncover and add in the spinach, red pepper flakes and heavy cream and stir in well.

We like to let them whole pot simmer on low (while still stirring) for 5-10 minutes. This gives all of the incredible flavors time to blend together.

Tips and Modifications:

*If you would like the end result to be more or an actual soup, add more stock or bone broth. The Orzo and Butternut Squash really do soak it up and make it less of an actual soup.

* For easy prepping of the squash, fork holes in it and place in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. This will make cutting it much easier! I have recently loved peeling the squash beforehand also. It is a breeze!

* You can choose just chicken or Italian sausage for the dish! Depending on your protein appetite, adjust the quantity if using only one protein source. They are both delicious alone, or combined like the recipe notes above.

Enjoy and cheers to you all!