Sausage and Butternut Squash Orzo (Dump-and-Bake)

Italian sausage and butternut squash orzo bake with creamy Boursin. Everything cooks in one pan with no pre-boiling and no separate pots to wash.

Course dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword baked, butternut squash and orzo, comfort food, creamy, one pan

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 543

Preheat and Prep: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray with cooking spray or grease a deep 9x13-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.

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.