One Pot Squash and Hot Sausage Orzo

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 pound spicy Italian pork sausage

• 2 cups roughly chopped kale

• 1 small onion

• 4 garlic cloves

• 1 cup orzo

• 2 cups chicken broth

• 3/4 cup canned full-fat coconut milk

• 1/3 cup squash puree

• Grated parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)

Directions

Combine the salt, thyme, black pepper, and rosemary in a small bowl and set aside. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, deep, lidded skillet, and once it’s shimmering, add the sausage. Cook the sausage, stirring occasionally and breaking it into small pieces, until no pink remains, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the kale and continue cooking until the sausage is lightly crisp and the kale is wilted, about 5 more minutes, then remove both from the pan and set aside in a bowl, leaving behind any rendered oil. In the same skillet, add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the spice mix and cook until fragrant, about another minute, then add the orzo and mix to combine. Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then stir in the coconut milk, squash puree, and nutritional yeast. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and cook until the orzo is al dente, 12 to 16 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent sticking. Once cooked, the mixture will still be quite saucy; add back the sausage and kale and stir to combine. Serve the orzo evenly on plates, topping with grated parmesan if desired.