I don’t know about you but I am constantly looking for new side dishes to serve with our meals. This is my second time ever cooking with orzo, and that little beauty of a pasta is fantastic to work with – it cooks quickly and is very versatile. We absolutely loved this recipe. Loved it, loved it! My husband did most of the cooking on this one and wanted me to be sure to mention that tiny fact so that you will know how easy it really is. The orzo soaks up the flavors of the garlic and onion and is perfectly chewy when finished cooking. The peas and Parmesan add great texture and color. This is definitely an easy side dish we’ll be making often – especially because you can tailor it to what you have on hand (and because now I know I can delegate the cooking to my husband!). Personally, I could have eaten the entire pan as my main entree, but I decided to share with the fam. I’m nice like that.
Toasted Orzo with Peas and Parmesan
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture
Serves 4-6 (as a side dish)
*Be careful when adding the broth to the pan, because it will create a lot of steam.
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 ¼ cups orzo
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley leaves
Ground black pepper
1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the orzo and cook, stirring often, until most of the grains are golden, about 5 minutes. Carefully stir in the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the orzo is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. (Be careful not to cook at too high of heat at this point because the liquid will evaporate instead of cook the orzo and you’ll be left with undercooked pasta.)
Off the heat, stir in the peas, Parmesan, and parsley and let sit until the peas are warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with the lemon wedges.
Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Best Skillet Recipes
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
Melanie,What did you serve this with?
I tried making this today and it went all good. thanks for this!
My husband and I are big fans of your blog. I check it everyday and I love it! All your recipes I have tried have been wonderful. Can’t wait to try the orzo pasta tonight.
I think I’d like that better than rice and peas.
I love orzo! This reminds me I need to make it soon. I normally throw it into soups and forget to make it on its own. I actually just made a pasta tonight with peas and asparagus pieces, plus a little bacon. I bet that would be good with orzo instead of penne – a little healthier and fewer carbs. Thanks for the idea!
Great side dish! It had so much flavor too. It can be hard to come up with new and different side dishes. My 11 month old really liked it too. The orzo was just the perfect size for him and his little mouth. -Liz K.
I tried this last night and it was great! Thanks for the recipe!
Alan and Bonnie – so glad you tried this already. What a great addition of lemon pepper chicken. I bet it was fabulous!Anonymous – I like this better than rice and peas by far!Anonymous – thanks for your nice compliment. It means a lot. Thanks for checking in to let me know!
Anonymous – thanks for letting me know you liked this. I’m glad to hear it!
I have made this twice for guests–it was a hit! I used aspargus (blanched for 2 minutes) and added some coarsely chopped baby spinach (I add spinach to everything)! Love your blog. Do you care if I post my version of this recipe with a link to your blog? I just entered the blogging world.
MMMMM…This dish is calling me,…..Yum!!
I too am always on the hunt for new side dishes!Looks yummo
We love orzo, too! This looks like a perfect side dish. Yum!
Melanie, I just love your blog, it’s one of my faves! This looks like HEAVEN!
Liz – that’s why I love this dish, because the pasta is small and great for my kids. Glad you and yours liked it, too!
I made this tonight and added sauted lemon pepper chicken and was delicious.
JoAnn – I served this on the side with some ribs I made in the slow cooker.
Sounds heavenly!
That actually sounds so good! I am just intimidated by the foreign sound of “orzo” but I’ll have to give it a try!
TOASTED orzo sounds great! and i always love the pop of peas in dishes like this. lovely.
This looks delicious. I love orzo and even make a salad with it but this looks even better since you toasted the orzo.
This looks delish!
Cindy – I just made this again this week, too. Great timing! I don’t mind at all if you post your version with a link to my blog – I’d be honored. Thanks for your comment!
Organic Baby – thanks for letting me know. I’m very glad you liked it!
I love anything with peas. YUM!Thanks for the comment on my enchiladas. I think you could definitely use the green sauce instead of red.
I made this last night and it came out really good, thanks!
Jennifer – thanks for letting me know you liked this!
Interesting that I just found this dish since I basically made my own version twice in the past two weeks! So yummy! I sauteed onions & garlic in a little oil/butter combo w/ some salt & pepper, then added in some frozen peas at the last minute. I poured the pasta in w/ it and then stirred in the parm! YUM!
oh and it’s creamy, so it’s kind of a like a quick risotto almost!
Teri – I agree that this dish is delicious in it’s creaminess – just like risotto!
I cannot say enough good things about this dish! I want to eat the entire batch all by myself! A tip, if doubling it, do it in a big pot, and know that browning the orzo takes about 10 minutes. But it is so worth it. I’m thinking this would be really with mixed summer vegetables and eggplant mixed in. When I made it tonight I put the onion in my food processor and did it very fine (someone I was making dinner for doesn’t like “chunks” of onion in their food). The onion flavor was very strong, much stronger than the times I have used chopping onion. Do you know if it has something to do with the fact that the onion was pureed instead of chopped? The good side effect of it though was the the onion got very toasty and gave the orzo an amazing toasted onion flavor. So if you like onion flavor, try pureeing the onion.
This was a great vegetarian main dish to try on my family. I blogged about it here http://hobbiesmakemehappy.blogspot.com/2011/04/toasted-orzo-with-peas-and-parmesan.html I absolutely LOVE your site and have tried more recipes that I will blog about soon. I linked back to your blog. I hope that’s ok, let me know if it’s not.
I looove this recipe! It is so perfect and the leftovers are almost BETTER! My favorite part is how easy it was. I am domestically impaired and before this dish my spaghetti was the only safe bet for dinner
Even my 3 year old loved it and she doesn’t eat much of anything. Thanks thanks thanks! I can’t wait to try another recipe.
This was awesome!! Served it with grilled tilapia and made for a great dinner. Came together quickly and easily and delivered great flavor. Have you seen whole wheat orzo anywhere? Just curious b/c that would amp up the nutritional value
Deb – I’ve never seen whole wheat orzo…don’t even know if companies make it, to be honest!
Made this tonite for dinner with tilapia and acorn squash. It was FABULOUS!!!. The whole family loved it! Thank you thank you. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow.
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