Rice-shaped orzo pasta bakes in a flavorful sauce for this dish that is super creamy and topped with melted cheese. Thanks to feedback from our members, we made this one-pan meal, featured in January 2018, even simpler.
Broccoli / Garlic (for pasta and broccoli) - (If prepping right before cooking, get oven heating first.) Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Unlock this meal along with hundreds of smart meal plans and never stress about "What's for dinner?" again
Toss broccoli and garlic with oil (portions for broccoli) and season with some salt and pepper. Spread out on a sheet pan.
Roast broccoli until tender and starting to brown in spots, shaking the pan halfway through cooking, ~25 minutes.
While broccoli roasts, heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil (portion for pasta) and sausage. Cook sausage, breaking it apart with a spoon, until starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain off any excess oil.
Stir in tomato paste, garlic (portion for pasta), and Italian seasoning. Saute for 1 minute.
Add pasta, tomatoes (including liquid), and stock, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer.
Top pasta with cheese and cover with a lid. Transfer to oven. Bake, covered, until pasta is tender, 13 to 16 minutes.
When broccoli is finished, squeeze lemon juice over top.
Serve pasta with broccoli on the side. (If you have some parsley leftover from earlier in the week, you can sprinkle some on top of the pasta.) Enjoy!