We all get into food ruts from time to time, right? The easiest way I’ve found to mix things up and inject a bit of novelty into the week in and week out meal planning is to grab a new variety of your usual grocery item. Usually go for brown rice? Try wild rice. Sweet potato addict? Try a Japanese or jewel sweet potato. I channeled this energy the other day while at Trader Joe’s by picking up a bag of orzo on a whim. We had a delicious orzo dish at my friend’s rehearsal dinner the night before her wedding and a lightbulb went off in my head! “Duh, ORZO! Of course!” Truly, I forget all about this humble grain, but no longer. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler, and my belly is gearing up for hearty dishes all fall and winter long. In this spirit, I wanted to share an easy, breezy, and cheesy orzo dish — the perfect way to use up random vegetables in the fridge or freezer and any bits and bobs of random cheese that is taking up space. This is a great basic recipe to tweak to your heart’s, and belly’s, content.
Recipe here, and more information after the jump. I’ve been on the internet long enough to know that the most common gripe with food blogs and online recipes is that the blogger rambles on for too long before sharing the recipe. But if you happen to enjoy rambles, there will be some below!
Cheesy Orzo
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 32 oz veggie broth
- 16 oz orzo pasta enriched rice may be substituted
- 2 cups frozen spinach thawed (can substitute any green, cooked down before adding)
- ½ cup shelled peas or frozen
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- ½ cup feta cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, then onion, and sautee until translucent, roughly 8-10 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic and orzo and sautee for 1 minute to toast. Then add broth to the pan and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce to simmer and cook 10-15 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally to keep from burning. Half way through, add cream.
- When mostly all liquid is absorbed, stir in veggies and cheese to melt and combine thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Doesn’t this dish just scream “cozy weeknight winter dinner”? I especially love pasta dishes that you can sneak tons of veggies into but then cover them all up with cheese, so you feel Extremely Smug and Proud that you’re eating veggies but also comforted by the carbs and dairy. It’s a real win-win if you ask me. I used monterey jack and feta in this dish because I’m a sucker for a spinach/feta combination. It reminds me of one of my random favorite meals as a kid: spanakopita. Nope, I’m not Greek, but grew up with a few close Greek friends and used to love eating it at the Greek festival I went to every year with them. This dish would work equally well, I think, with the following ingredients. Think of it like a fun mix-and-match!
- mozzarella
- parmesan
- pecorino romano
- ricotta
- swiss chard
- kale
- green beans
- tomatoes
- zucchini
- broccoli
- mushrooms
- chicken
- shrimp
- sausage
- cannellini beans
- chickpeas
This is my favorite type of meal: flexible and forgiving. I’m nearly incapable of following a recipe exactly as it is written, so if you share my plight, this cheesy orzo recipe is for you! Take it, make it your own, and enjoy. And don’t even worry too much about exact measurements as written above. I think one of the most fun parts of cooking is trusting your own judgment and adding more or less of certain ingredients as you see fit. Except salt. You can always add more salt, but it’s nearly impossible to save a too-salty dish. Always err on the side of less, and add more if needed.
Oh and let me know if you stumble onto any delicious version. I’m always in the market for tasty inspiration!
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