This Spinach Dip Orzo Dinner is everything I want in an easy weeknight meal: creamy, cheesy, savory, and packed with flavor, with barely any cleanup. It has all the flavors of a warm spinach dip turned into a cozy baked orzo dinner, complete with juicy cherry tomatoes, golden chicken sausage, caramelized shallots, and Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese.
And the best part? Once the shallots and sausage are browned, everything gets layered into one baking dish and the oven does the rest of the work.
If you’re looking for a one-pan orzo dinner, an easy way to use chicken sausage, or simply something different to add to the weeknight rotation, save this one. The Boursin melts directly into the warm orzo and chicken stock, while the roasted cherry tomatoes burst into the sauce. It is SO good.
Why You’ll Love This Spinach Dip Orzo
This recipe is inspired by the creamy, garlicky flavors of spinach dip, but turns them into a complete dinner.
The Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs is really the secret. Instead of building a cream sauce from scratch, the soft cheese melts into the chicken stock and cooked orzo to create a rich, creamy sauce with plenty of garlic and herb flavor already built in.
I also take the extra few minutes to caramelize the shallots and brown the chicken sausage before assembling everything. You could technically throw everything straight into the baking dish, but those two steps add so much more depth and make the finished dish taste like you spent way more time on it than you actually did.
Then there are the cherry tomatoes. Don’t skip the final step of bursting them with a fork! Their juices mix with the melted Boursin and chicken stock to create this creamy tomato and herb sauce that coats every piece of orzo.
Spinach Dip Orzo Dinner Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25–30 minutes
Total Time: 40–45 minutes
Servings: 4–6
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 4 chicken sausage links, sliced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 package Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Add the sliced shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and deeply golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat if they begin browning too quickly. Transfer the shallots to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the sliced chicken sausage. Sauté for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until the sausage is golden brown around the edges. The sausage is already cooked, so you’re simply browning it to develop more flavor.
- Add the uncooked orzo to a 9-by-12-inch baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Add the spinach, cherry tomatoes, browned chicken sausage, and caramelized shallots.
- Place the entire package of Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese in the center of the baking dish.
- Pour the chicken stock evenly over the orzo and vegetables. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Go easy on the salt at first since both the chicken stock, sausage, and Boursin already contain salt.
- Bake uncovered on the top rack for about 25 minutes, or until the majority of the liquid has been absorbed and the orzo is tender. If the orzo is still firm and the baking dish looks dry, add a small splash of warm chicken stock and continue baking for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven. Use a fork or the back of a spoon to gently burst the roasted cherry tomatoes, releasing their juices into the orzo.
- Stir everything together while it’s still hot, mixing the melted Boursin, tomato juices, chicken stock, spinach, shallots, and orzo until everything is coated in a creamy sauce. Let the dish sit for about 5 minutes before serving; the sauce will continue to thicken as it rests.
The Trick to Perfect Baked Orzo
The biggest thing to remember is that orzo is pasta, not rice, so you don’t want to bake it until the dish looks completely dry. There should still be a little moisture when you pull it from the oven. Once you stir in the Boursin and let everything rest, the orzo will continue absorbing that liquid and the sauce will thicken.
Oven temperatures and baking dishes can also vary, so start checking around the 25-minute mark. You’re looking for tender orzo with most, but not necessarily every drop, of the chicken stock absorbed.
Can I Make This With Different Chicken Sausage?
Absolutely. I love a savory chicken sausage here because it makes this feel like a complete dinner while keeping the prep really easy. Garlic, Italian-style, spinach and feta, or even a slightly spicy chicken sausage would all work well.
You can also leave the sausage out for a meatless spinach and Boursin orzo. If you’re using raw sausage rather than fully cooked chicken sausage links, cook it completely in the skillet before adding it to the baking dish.
What to Serve with Spinach Dip Orzo
This really is a complete meal on its own. You have the pasta, spinach, tomatoes, cheese, and chicken sausage all in one dish.
For a larger dinner, I’d keep the sides simple. A crisp green salad, roasted broccoli, or garlic bread would be perfect for scooping up any of that creamy Boursin sauce.
An Easy Weeknight Dinner Worth Repeating
This Spinach Dip Orzo Dinner with Boursin is exactly the kind of recipe I love for a busy weeknight. It feels cozy and indulgent without requiring you to stand over the stove making a complicated sauce.
You get sweet caramelized shallots, golden chicken sausage, tender orzo, wilted spinach, juicy roasted tomatoes, and that creamy Garlic & Fine Herbs Boursin tying everything together.
And once you burst those tomatoes and stir everything together? That’s where the magic happens. The tomato juices mix right into the creamy cheese and create the most delicious sauce.
It’s easy, comforting, and just different enough to switch up the usual weeknight dinner rotation.
Spinach Dip Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 4 chicken sausage links, sliced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 package Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 –2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Add the sliced shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and deeply golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat if they begin browning too quickly. Transfer the shallots to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the sliced chicken sausage. Sauté for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until the sausage is golden brown around the edges. The sausage is already cooked, so you’re simply browning it to develop more flavor.
- Add the uncooked orzo to a 9-by-12-inch baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Add the spinach, cherry tomatoes, browned chicken sausage, and caramelized shallots.
- Place the entire package of Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese in the center of the baking dish.
- Pour the chicken stock evenly over the orzo and vegetables. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Go easy on the salt at first since both the chicken stock, sausage, and Boursin already contain salt.
- Bake uncovered on the top rack for about 25 minutes, or until the majority of the liquid has been absorbed and the orzo is tender. If the orzo is still firm and the baking dish looks dry, add a small splash of warm chicken stock and continue baking for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven. Use a fork or the back of a spoon to gently burst the roasted cherry tomatoes, releasing their juices into the orzo.
- Stir everything together while it’s still hot, mixing the melted Boursin, tomato juices, chicken stock, spinach, shallots, and orzo until everything is coated in a creamy sauce. Let the dish sit for about 5 minutes before serving; the sauce will continue to thicken as it rests.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
