Serves 4
Time: 45 minutes

Photo by VK Rees

This vegan tempeh sausage pasta is such a great weeknight meal and will break you out of your pasta rut. Saucy orzo, velvety ribbons of spinach, bites of sundried tomato, and lots and lots of garlic, topped with crumbled anise tempeh sausage. It gets its name because it destroys cities, and because “Vegan Orzo With Spinach, Sundried Tomatoes, and Tempeh Sausage” is too long to type.

This one’s been kicking around PPK since 2011 and the comments section is full of readers who’ve been making it for years. If you’re coming back for a refresh, hi. If you’re new, welcome to the cult.

What really makes it work is the contrast: soft, saucy orzo underneath, crisped tempeh sausage crumbles on top, wilted spinach winding through. Once you start eating it’s hard to stop.

How to make the tempeh sausage for this vegan orzo

The tempeh is the best part. Tear it into bite-sized pieces, steam for ten minutes to mellow any bitterness, then crumble it in a hot pan with olive oil, anise seed, coriander, and soy sauce until the edges crisp up. The anise gives it a warm, sausage-y flavor, almost like Italian sausage. If you’ve been anise-curious in savory cooking, this is a good way in. That said, you can also sub in crushed fennel seed.

The sauce comes together fast. A small red onion and a lot of garlic, a cup of dry white wine reduced down with rosemary and chopped sundried tomatoes, then vegetable broth and nutritional yeast to give it body. Spinach wilts in by the handful at the end. Toss the cooked orzo through the sauce and pile the tempeh crumbles on top.

VEGAN TEMPEH ORZILLA FAQ:

Can I skip the wine in this tempeh sausage pasta? For sure. Sub an extra cup of vegetable broth plus a tablespoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar to get back some of that bright acidity. Lighter flavor but still really good.

Is the anise necessary? What does it taste like? Yup yup yup, the anise is doing a lot of the work. It gives the tempeh that warm, sausage-y thing you’d get from fennel in Italian sausage. If you really can’t stand anise, swap in fennel seed 1:1. They’re close cousins and fennel is a little milder.

Can I use a different pasta? You can, but orzo gets sauced in a way longer pastas don’t. If you want to sub, a small shape like ditalini or pastina works. Long pasta will feel like a different dish. But try whatever pasta you have, how bad can it be? Its a great tempeh sausage pasta no matter what.

Can I use oil-packed sundried tomatoes instead of dry? Yeah. Just drain them well and use a little less olive oil when you sauté the onion. The oil-packed ones are softer so they’ll break down more in the sauce, which is fine.

Can I make this vegan orzo ahead? The sauce and tempeh crumbles both keep in the fridge for a few days and reheat well. Cook the orzo fresh when you’re ready to eat because reheated orzo gets gluey.

Can I double it? For sure. Everything scales up cleanly. Use a bigger pan for the sauce so the spinach has room to wilt.

Tempeh orzilla, vegan orzo with tempeh sausage, spinach and sundried tomato

Tempeh Orzilla

Tempeh sausage pasta with garlic, sundried tomatoes, spinach, and white wine. A 45-minute weeknight dinner with the protein built right in.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course, Pasta
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz orzo

For the tempeh

  • 8 oz tempeh
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon anise seed
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

For the sauce:

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 small red onion thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (dry ones, not the oil packed kind)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Fresh black pepper
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 3 cups baby spinach

Instructions
 

To prepare the tempeh:

  • For time management, I steam the tempeh first, and prep the veggies, then rinse out the pot and boil salted water for the orzo. So, tear the tempeh into bite sized pieces and steam for 10 minutes. Set tempeh aside and proceed with the recipe.
  • Preheat a small pan over medium heat. Saute tempeh in oil for about 10 minutes, mashing the tempeh into crumbles with your spatula as you go. Add the spices and soy sauce, and saute another 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and cover until ready to use.

To prepare the pasta and sauce:

  • Boil orzo until al dente, then drain.
  • In the meantime, preheat a large pan over medium heat. Saute the onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds more.
  • Add rosemary, wine and sundried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and turn the heat up to bring the sauce to a simmer. Let simmer until reduced by about half, 5 minutes or so.
  • Add broth and yeast and warm through. Then add the spinach in handfuls, letting each batch wilt before adding the next. Cook until spinach is thoroughly wilted then turn the heat off, add the orzo, mix well, and serve topped with tempeh crumbles.
Keyword orzo, tempeh, tempeh sausage, vegan pasta, weeknight dinner, sundried tomatoes, spinach, anise, vegan orzo recipe, orzo with tempeh
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