Sausage Orzo Bake (Dump-&-Bake w/ Butternut Squash!)
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Oct 20, 2025 (last updated Mar 11, 2026) 
My Italian sausage and orzo bake layers tender roasted butternut squash, sausage, and creamy Boursin cheese into a dreamy, weeknight-friendly dinner. Everything cooks together in one pan (no boiling + no pre-cooking!) for a hearty, cozy casserole that’s comforting and super easy!
5 star review
“Another phenomenal recipe from Robyn! Made this for dinner and it was unbelievably good. Can’t wait to add this to our regular rotation!”
– Emilia
Sausage Orzo Casserole is the Perfect One-Pan Dinner!
Say hello to my new go-to one-pan, dump-and-bake dinner! I created this recipe because I wanted a casserole-style dinner that easily fits into Tuesday night chaos, while also looking stunning on the table; all with no separate pans, and no babysitting the stove.
The true beauty of this one is that it’s made in all one pan with no pre-cooking (you know I love that!) with caramelized roasted squash, crumbled sausage, tender orzo, and that hit of garlicky Boursin that perfectly melts into every bite. It’s exactly the kind of thing I pull together when I want real dinner flavor with barely any dishes, and that I know everyone will actually eat.
And, in true Real Food Whole Life let’s-make-this-super-simple fashion, I made sure the sausage and squash roast at the same time so you’re not juggling pans or steps. And stirring the orzo right into the same pan means less cleanup and that dreamy, baked risotto vibe with none of the stirring (similar to my wildly easy and simply delicious chicken orzo dump-and-bake). Truly, this one tastes so elevated and cozy you won’t believe how easy it was to make!
Welcome to My Kitchen – Let’s Make Sausage Orzo Casserole!
A Few Testing Notes From My Kitchen to Yours
- When I tested this, I found that using pre-cubed squash made prep faster, but I always double-check for any super big pieces and cut them smaller if necessary for even cooking.
- I recommend crumbling the raw chicken sausage into smaller bits so it roasts evenly with the squash. Think bite-sized pieces, or about the same size as the squash.
- I found a pinch of red pepper flakes gives just enough kick to balance the creamy Boursin, so if you like a little extra heat, go for it!
Sausage Orzo Bake (Dump-and-Bake w/ Butternut Squash!)
Ingredients
- 3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 1-inch pieces)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pound Italian sausage (pork or chicken)
- 1½ cups dry orzo
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 5.3 ounce package of Boursin garlic & herb cheese
- Optional: pinch of red pepper flakes
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat and Prep: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray with cooking spray or grease a deep 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Prepare the Sausage & Squash: In the baking dish, combine the butternut squash, olive oil, ½ teaspoon of the salt, garlic and Italian seasoning, tossing to coat. Add the sausage (crumbled or broken into pieces) evenly over the butternut squash.
- Roast: Roast for 20–25 minutes, uncovered, stirring once, until the squash is tender and the sausage is cooked through.
- Add the Orzo, Broth & Boursin: Remove the pan from the oven. Stir in the dry orzo, ½ teaspoon of salt, and chicken broth. Nestle the whole Boursin cheese into the center. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes if you’d like a little kick.
- Bake: Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 20–25 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the orzo is tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir everything together until creamy. Finish with fresh parsley if you like.
Notes
- Sausage: You want raw (not pre-cooked) Italian pork or chicken sausage for this recipe. You can use bulk or in links. If it’s in links, simply remove from the casing before adding it to the squash. Use sweet Italian sausage for a mild flavor, or hot for more spice.
- For Serving: I recommend sprinkling chopped fresh parsley on top for a little pop of green.
- Before Serving: In testing, letting the casserole rest for 5 minutes before stirring really helped the orzo soak up the extra broth. If it looks liquidy when you pull it out, be sure to give it that extra time to rest.
I made this tonight and it was great. My only alteration is that I would add more chicken sausage next time . I love a good one pot dish!
Kathleen so happy to hear you enjoyed this one, and great idea to add more sausage! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review. 🙂
Hey can I use Italian pork sausage
Brandee, yes, I tested it with pork sausage (bulk or squeezed out of the casing) and it works great! You can use sweet Italian or spicy or a mix. I hope you enjoy!
So delicious! Definitely worth adding the pinch of hot chili flakes because #somelikeithot
It’s me, I am some 🙂
Adrienne, lol, same, I love a little kick from the red pepper flakes! So happy you enjoyed, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
Another phenomenal recipe from Robyn! Made this for dinner and it was unbelievably good. Can’t wait to add this to our regular rotation!
Emilia! Yay, I’m so thrilled to hear you enjoyed this one, and thank you as always for leaving a review!
This recipe was easy to make. It was delicious! I will be making this one again.
Michelle, yay, I love it when a recipe make it to the “make again” list! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review. 🙂
Could I use frozen butternut squash cubes? Would that cause too much moisture? Would it change the cook time?
I haven’t tested this one with frozen butternut squash… I think it would work, but since the butternut squash is already cooked (steamed) prior to freezing, my guess is that it will end of cooking down and becoming so soft that they will “melt” into the orzo once stirred. I think this would be lovely, but it just depends if you want the squash to maintain its structure or not. I think defrosting the frozen squash first would be good, otherwise it will release too much liquid. Then you can roast with the sausage per the recipe. If you give it a try let me know how it turns out!
This dish is amazing. I have made it twice in 2 weeks. It’s easy, so flavourful and delicious! I love a one pot dish and the fact it has veggies in it is even better. I used Italian sausage instead of chicken sausage. Topped my own portion with red pepper flakes and some parmigiano reggiano cheese 🙂
Laura, ohhhh, your toppings sound so yummy! I’m so happy you’re enjoying both the ease and flavor of this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
I’ve made this a few times and it’s great!! Reheats really well for lunches as well.
I know the recipe calls for raw sausage, but I’ve used precooked chicken meatballs and added them with the orzo and it was still good !
I’ve also added mushrooms sometimes – delish!
Lauren, ohhhh, great to know about using pre-cooked chicken meatballs and adding mushrooms, I’m sure those tips will be so helpful to others. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
My family who wrinkles up their nose at butternut squash soup loved this casserole. I never used orzo until I started following your blog. Thank you!
Carla, fantastic to hear this one was a winner even with butternut squash “skeptics!” And yay for orzo! Definitely a fantastic addition to any weeknight dinner pantry. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and leaving a reivew.
This is delicious, Robyn! Feels like a grown up mac and cheese – the squash is creamy. I sautéd precooked chicken sausages and added them in during the 5 min resting time. Will be in my rotation!
Grown-up mac and cheese is such a great way to describe this one, Jill! Great note about adding the chicken sausage at the end, too, I’m sure others will find that helpful! Thanks as always for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a reivew!
Made this last night with hot Italian! Such an easy recipe and so delicious! I also added spinach at the end when it was resting. Thanks for sharing, this will be in our meal rotation during the colder months 🙂
Bianca, I”m so happy to hear this casserole made it into your regular dinner rotation! Thanks os much for sharing your thoughts and for leaving a review!
This was delicious, but I have a couple anti-sausage family members. Would it be possible to sub the chicken sausage for seasoned raw ground beef and keep all the instructions the same?
Let’s see, I’m not confident raw ground beef is going to work here, both for texture and moisture. If you want to add beef, I’d suggest just cooking it up separate in a pan with a little salt, then adding it after the butternut squash has cooked. I think it will be very tasty. If you give it a try let me know how it turns out!