Kick pasta night up an notch with this quick and easy Instant Pot Orzo swirled with all your favorite supreme pizza toppings and mix-ins!
Wait… pizza orzo?
Heck yes pizza orzo! This crazy creative recipe comes from my good friend Stefanie who blogs over at Sarcastic Cooking.
Girlfriend is an absolute wiz at all things Instant Pot and has penned two amazing books with her recipes.
The first cookbook, Quick Prep Cooking with your Instant Pot. is easily one of my favorites. I’ve made the Instant Pot Tortellini from it and basically fell in love!
Recently she teamed up with a few fellow bloggers to write The Big Book of Instant Pot Recipes and it’s full of so much goodness like this fun and feisty pizza supreme orzo.
Pizza Supreme Instant Pot Orzo
This dish is basically what happens when you pizza-fy your pasta!
Since we’re sprinkling pepperoni on top, I highly suggest going for gold and adding a nice little blanket of mozzarella cheese in on the fun too.
Pizza Supreme Instant Pot Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lb ground Italian sausage mild or hot
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 cup dried orzo
- 2 ⅓ cups water
- 1 handful fresh chopped spinach
- 1/3-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese for topping
- 1-2 oz chopped pepperoni slices for topping
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
- spaghetti sauce (for swirling in at the end – see recipe)
- grated mozzarella for topping
- fresh diced tomatoes for an optional garnish
- fresh basil for an optional garnish
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to sauté. Once hot, add the oil. Sauté ground sausage, breaking into small pieces as you cook, approx. 4 minutes.
- Mix in bell pepper, mushrooms, and red onion. Sauté for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Stir to combine and select CANCEL/OFF on the Instant Pot to stop the sauté function.
- Add fire-roasted tomatoes, water, and orzo. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot (to prevent the auto-shutoff/burn feature from triggering).
- Secure lid with the steam vent in the sealed position. Cook on MANUAL at HIGH pressure for 4 minutes. When the timer sounds, carefully quick relsease the pressure, standing back from the steam. Remove lid (with caution) once unlocked and stir the pasta. The sauc will thicken a little as it cools.
- For a thicker/saucier pasta – swirl in some spaghetti sauce before spooning into bowls. I like it thick so I add this optional extra. Mix in some spinach and top with parmesan cheese and chopped pepperoni plus choice of optional extras from the list above. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted with permission from The Big Book of Instant Pot Recipes by Kristy Bernardo, Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri, Amy Rains and Stefanie Bundalo, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019
If you get a chance to try this Instant Pot Orzo recipe, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
looking for more instant pot recipes?
I’ve got a boatload of them on here! You can check out my full gallery of Instant Pot Recipes HERE or try some of my favorites below:
- Instant Pot Lentil Tacos (LOVE THEM SO!)
- Instant Pot Ramen Bowls (VEGETARIAN + VEGAN)
Another family favorite of ours is my easy peasy Instant Pot Taco Pasta. I make mine vegetarian-style while my mother-in-law loves adding ground turkey to hers. It’s great every which way!
Questions & Reviews
Fabulous! I felt like I was snacking when in reality I was eating a high protein, low carb meal loaded with veggies. <3!