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Christine Gallary
Christine GallaryFood Editor-at-Large
Christine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW.com. She lives in San Francisco and loves teaching cooking classes. Follow her latest culinary escapades on Instagram.
published Feb 15, 2021
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This one-pot dish cooks orzo pasta in flavorful stock and is finished with lemon, peas, and Parmesan for a lighter take on risotto.
Serves4 to 6Prep10 minutesCook30 minutes to 32 minutesJump to Recipe
Jump to Recipe
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When I was growing up, eating out usually meant going to an Asian restaurant or an American fast food joint. Our very rare visits to sit-down, non-Asian restaurant were big deals, and we mostly went to chain restaurants. One favorite was the Macaroni Grill, and I always ordered the exact same dish: salmon with a side of sun-dried tomato orzo pasta. I ordered it not because I loved the salmon, but because that orzo was just so delicious. Flecked with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, the tender pasta wasn’t drowned in tomato or cream sauce like most of the other dishes at the restaurant, and I couldn’t get enough.
This was the first dish I ever tried to recreate by taste memory. I remembered little bits of sweet onion and feeling like the orzo was cooked in some kind of broth or stock. So I browned some onion in olive oil, toasted the orzo in the oil, then added canned chicken broth a little at a time until the orzo was tender. After I stirred in some spinach (I skipped the sundried tomatoes), I took a taste and did my first happy dance in the kitchen. It tasted like I was at Macaroni Grill! Maybe this was an early sign that I would eventually develop recipes for a living.
Cooking orzo this way soon became routine, and I made this dish often after I was married. It paired so well with seafood or with meats, and if we added enough vegetables, became both our starch and our vegetable side all in one dish. Spinach is a great stir-in, but I now prefer it with frozen peas, lemon zest, and Parmesan since those are always in my kitchen. The ingredients are really flexible, but the one thing I always do is make sure that the onion is not just cooked until softened, but cooked until golden-brown before the orzo is added. The browned onion imparts a deeper, more savory flavor, so I never rush that step.
The finished orzo is always flavorful since it’s cooked in broth, but lighter and quicker-cooking than risotto. Vegetable broth works great here if you want to keep it vegetarian, but since it’s a dominant flavor in the orzo, make sure you go with one you really like the taste of. This dish can easily be a main with a poached or fried egg on top, but is just as comfortable on the sidelines next to a protein. Stir often once the orzo goes in to make sure it cooks evenly and doesn’t burn, but treat it as a meditative practice, maybe with a glass of wine in hand and some tunes playing in the background. Happy dancing optional.
More One-Pot Orzo Recipes We Love
- One-Pot Lemon Orzo with Shrimp and Fennel
- One-Pot Creamy Chicken Orzo
- One-Pot Greek Orzo with Tomatoes, White Beans, and Feta
- One-Pot Parmesan Brussels Sprouts Orzo
- One-Pot Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo
- One-Pot Tomato Chickpeas and Orzo
One-Pot Orzo with Peas and Parmesan
This one-pot dish cooks orzo pasta in flavorful stock and is finished with lemon, peas, and Parmesan for a lighter take on risotto.
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes to 32 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1/2
medium yellow onion
- 3 cloves
garlic
- 3 tablespoons
unsalted butter or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt, divided
- 1
medium lemon
- 1 1/2 ounces
Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 3/4 cup or scant 1/2 cup store-bought grated), plus more for serving if desired
- 12 ounces
dried orzo pasta (about generous 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 (32-ounce) box
low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup
frozen peas
Coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Dice 1/2 medium yellow onion (about 1 cup). Mince 3 garlic cloves.
Melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as needed so the onions don’t burn, until very soft and light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, finely grate the zest of 1 medium lemon (about 1 1/2 packed teaspoons), then juice half the lemon. If needed, finely grate 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 loosely packed cup), plus more for serving if desired.
Add the garlic and 12 ounces orzo to the pot and cook until fragrant and toasty-smelling, about 2 minutes. Add 1 box broth and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring frequently to keep the orzo from sticking, until the orzo is tender and almost all of the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. If the orzo has absorbed all the liquid before it is ready, add water 2 tablespoons at a time as needed.
Remove from the heat. Add 3/4 cup frozen peas and the Parmesan and stir until the peas are just heated through and the cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the lemon zest and 2 teaspoon of the lemon juice. Taste and season with more lemon juice and kosher salt as needed. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and more Parmesan cheese if desired.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days. Add a little water or broth to loosen when reheating.
Using 1 pound orzo: To cook a 16 ounces orzo, use 4 tablespoons butter or olive oil, 1 small yellow onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1 box low-sodium broth, 1 cup water, 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, 1 cup frozen peas, and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Use the same amount of lemon zest and lemon juice, and cook in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot.
Vegetable substitution: 4 cups baby spinach can be used in place of the peas, stir until wilted.
Filed in:
Cheese
dinner
easy
Main Dish
quick
Side Dish
