I added spinach and tomato to orzo to create a colorful and flavorful side dish. The orzo is lightly browned first in butter and a little garlic. The browned butter gives this dish an addicting flavor you will love. When I was a kid, our pastas consisted of spaghetti and macaroni and cheese. It wasn’t until I was a teen that I even had lasagna. When I started cooking in my own kitchen I found and tried all the popular traditional pastas. There are so many pasta varieties to try, even though our supermarket contains just a small sampling. This was the first time I had tried orzo, and we all loved it so much, this will be a regular staple in our pantry.
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick butter, or 1/4 cup, more if needed
- 1 lb package orzo
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
- 4 cups chicken stock
Method
- Add butter to sauce pan and melt.
- Add orzo and stir until all pasta is covered in butter, add more if necessary.
- Add garlic and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
- Saute until orzo is lightly browned, over medium low heat, and the butter smalls nutty.
- Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.
- Cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Turn heat off and add spinach to pasta pot, on top of pasta and add lid again. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Add tomatoes to large serving bowl. When pasta has rested and spinach is wilted, add to serving bowl and toss together.
Print The Entire Post with Photos
I’m going to buy some orzo soon. This dish is simple to make but the simplest ingredients taste the best. They say you can’t eat healthy in less than 30 minutes. But this is one is easy and healthy to make.
Divina´s last blog, Heavenly Champorado
Hmmmm…. comfort food!
Frank Fariello´s last blog, Al contadino non far sapere…
Amen to orzo as pantry staple. It’s terrific in soups and casseroles too.
The Chickenless Chick´s last blog, Baba Ganoush Floridian with Black-Eyed Peas and Rosa Bianca Eggplant
Haven’t made orzo in a while. Very savory, rich idea. Love the photo!
redkathy´s last blog, September Foodstuff – Quick Dill or Cheesy Buscuits
Orzo reminds me of being sick when I was a kid in soup and a ton of grated cheese. Any reason to eat orzo is good to me!
Nicole´s last blog, Another Birthday!
Yum, I love orzo noodles and this looks like the perfect meal to have with them!
Gina´s last blog, Sesame Fried Rice!
I love orzo– it’s a great alternative to a rice side dish. We have a bunch of cherry tomatoes in our garden– can’t wait to try them out with this recipe.
April Cavin´s last blog, Blues & Brews 2009
I love the simplicity and ozro is so easy to cook with. It absorbs flavours easily.
penny aka jeroxie´s last blog, Pasta with pan fried sardines & asparagus
We ate lasagna when I was a kid but I don’t remember my mom ever making orzo.
This looks like such a wonderfully fresh side dish!
theUngourmet´s last blog, A slice of apple pie a day….
I adore brown butter! It really does make any dish taste fabulous.
Delicious orzo! Very colorful!
Natasha – 5 Star Foodie´s last blog, Apple Honey Sorbet and Pom Wonderful Iced Coffee
Love orzo! This looks delicious. I also have a new food blog for myself and a food’s class that I teach. Will be checking your site out for a reference for my students. Thanks
the teacher cooks´s last blog, Cajun Pork Roast
hello
I love pasta dishes too, but I’ve never tried this orzo, I heard of and seen photos of it before and thought it was some kind of rice :0
Olive´s last blog, Patrick Star’s Rock Cake (aka Beatty’s Chocolate Cake
wonderful idea to put tomato and spinach, great color!!!
lululu´s last blog, To Ethan (11 Months)
Omg this looks delicious–I have some Orzo at home that I need to make!
Dawn (HealthySDLiving)´s last blog, What can YOU do with a Chickpea?
Oh my words, this looks good! It looks fairly simple to make as well. okay, orzo is going on my shopping list today!
Beautiful dish! Sounds delicious!
Tasty ! Thank you for sharing. Cheers !
sizzlechef´s last blog, Cabbage Oyster Sauced Prawns Rice
Such beautiful pictures!
Whitney´s last blog, Lookie at my Cookies: Cookie Brownies
Made this dish tonight and loved the creaminess of the orzo in the brown butter. Added a couple tablespoons of toasted pine nuts to the finished dish. Delicious and so easy.
@LW,
I’m glad you liked it!
This dish was fantastic! I added some parmesan cheese and cooked jumbo shrimp to make it a main dish. My husband loved it and it certainly will become a staple at my house! Thanks for sharing!
[...] spinach and tomato orzo dish from Angie of the Southern Grace Gourmet blog has turned into one of the staple dishes that I [...]