Serves 4-6. Time: Prep 20 minutes Cook: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• Italian Sausage (hot or mild, chicken, pork or your preference for protein- can be veggie/impossible too), 1 pkg
• 1 Red Pepper, cut into rustic chop (doesn’t have to be perfectly uniform in chop)
• 1-2 yellow, orange, aloha or green pepper, same chop as red pepper
• 1 Onion, cut into rustic chop
• 2-5 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped (depending on how much you like the taste, can be more, less added to recipe)
• 1/4-1/2 cup dry white wine
• Vegetable or chicken broth, about a cup or so
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, alter based on oil content of protein choice (may need a bit more for veggie/chicken, less for pork for example)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Orzo 
• Mint, dried or fresh (less dried, more fresh- to taste)
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter

Method for preparation 

• Start a huge pot of boiling water for the orzo, can salt water if you want. Grab a large saucepan or skillet and turn burner to medium high heat. Add 1/2 of olive oil to pan, allow to warm up. Onions should sizzle when placed into pan, cook for 5 minutes stirring periodically. Add peppers, cook with onions another 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook until fragrant- about 1 minute. Remove veggies from pan back to cutting board or plate. Once water is boiling add orzo and cook to package specifications (use a timer because your busy with the other stuff while its cooking, al dente is necessary for this recipe to really pull it off)

• Keep burner on medium-high. Drizzle other 1/2 of olive oil into pan. Toss in the sausage. Let brown for approximately 5-8 minutes, then flip to other side and repeat. Remove sausage from pan and cut into roughly 5-6 pieces per link. Return to pan to continue cooking process for about 5-8 minutes. Drain orzo if done. Stir with butter, mint, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with olive oil.

• Return resting vegetables to pan, stir. Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine, should sizzle while alcohol burns off. Pick up large pan, move in a circular motion (without losing the contents contained within over the sides of course) like a fancy chef- then return pan to burner. Take a bow and continue, almost done. Once alcohol has cooked off, add broth and allow to simmer letting everything get happy in there together (try to avoid overcooking the veggies, always a tricky thing for me with this recipe but it is possible with close monitoring and tasting for texture while cooking). Salt and pepper to taste.

And its all done, Finito! Scoop orzo into bowls and top with sausage and pepper mixture. Tastes great with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and can serve with toasty garlicky bread for dipping if you wish. One of my favorite recipes that I return to time after time, and have for decades since I learned how to make it. I truly hope you and your loved ones enjoy this fabulous dish as much as we have!