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Tag Archives: orzo

Cheesy Orzo and Broccoli

Who has two thumbs and LOVES mac and cheese? This girl! I also really just love cheese in general, and what’s funny about that is that when I was in high school, I would always tell a friend of mine that I did not like cheese. In reality, I love it, I just have particular types that I dislike… like gorgonzola, blue, and goat cheese. Sorry y’all.

This is one of the most delicious and easy recipes I’ve played with, because it’s a homemade cheese sauce with boiled orzo pasta and broccoli. I have a secret too: I boil the broccoli in the SAME pot as the orzo cooks! *gasp* It’s just easier this way, and when it’s all mixed together, the broccoli chunks break down and coat the pasta in a light green colors… it’s good I swear 🙂

The cheese sauce is made with a Roux: a simple mixture of butter and flour with simmered milk. I take three tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of cassava flour and whisk together until its fully combined with no lumps. Then I add in milk and chicken stock and simmer until the liquid becomes a bit thick. I turn the heat off and pour in all the cheese. I used mild cheddar for this. Sprinkle salt and pepper into the mix and voila, you have a cheese sauce!

For the pasta, I made regular orzo and boiled as per package instructions. I threw in the broccoli at the same time so both ingredients finished simultaneously. I drained in a strainer and added back to the pot. I poured the cheese sauce into the orzo and broccoli and stirred. At the last second I decided to add another cup of cheese because #yolo and the results were a deliciously cheesy, creamy, pot of lovely orzo and broccoli. Nomaste!

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Cheesy Orzo and Broccoli

Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword broccoli, cheddar, cheese, orzo, pasta
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 8 cups
Author nomastehungry

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg orzo
  • 1 16oz bag sharp or mild cheddar cheese
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 cup milk or creamer
  • 1 cup chicken stock/broth
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions

Cheese Sauce

  1. In a small sautĂ© pan, heat and melt butter.  When butter is melted, add in the flour and whisk until blended.

  2. Add in the milk and chicken stock.  Bring to a rolling boil and stir frequently.  Keep at this heat for 5-7 minutes.

  3. Turn heat off and add in cheese.  Stir to blend and melt.  Add in salt and pepper to taste

Orzo and Broccoli

  1. In a 3-4 quart pot, fill the water 3/4 of the way and heat on high.  Let water boil and add salt.

  2. Add in the orzo and broccoli and cook together until al dente (around 8-9 minutes).  Drain in a strainer in the sink and add back into the pot.

  3. Layer in the cheese sauce and stir until fully coated.  Add in 1/2 cup more of cheddar and mix.  Serve immediately.

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Lemon Orzo and Vegetable Primavera

It’s the final countdown (until Thanksgiving), and I cannot wait to indulge in all my favorite goods: the sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, turkey, stuffing, and apple pie!  This happens to be my favorite holiday out of all holidays celebrated, especially because it brings people together.  Friends, family, and friends who are family – it’s a season to give thanks and be happy 🙂

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I always loved the idea of eating orzo, as it’s a super small pasta that goes with just about every kind of sauce.  The downside?  I never really know how to best prepare it.  Should it be in a cold salad?  Could I eat it like regular pasta with just butter?  Tonight’s dinner featured orzo as a kind of sprinkling of carbs that paired perfectly with the medley of sautĂ©ed vegetables.IMG_0031

Giving props to my SIL Ashley for finding a similar recipe and giving me inspiration,  I took it a different route: instead of roasting the vegetables and using mushrooms, I sautéed all of the veggies separately, using one pot over and over again, then mixing it altogether at the end with a touch of salt, pepper, and garlic.  I used zucchini, spinach, onions and shallots, cherry tomatoes, and bell peppers.  I started with the onions and cooked them until translucent then set aside.  Up next was the spinach: sautéed in butter and garlic, then the zucchini, and last the tomato/pepper mix.

I cooked the orzo as I would regular pasta, then added it to the vegetable mix, tossing the whole dish with some fresh squeezed lemon, olive oil, S&P (Salt and pepper).  Crumbled mediterranean feta sat atop the beaut and we couldn’t have been happier at how this came out!  This will for sure be part of the rotation of meals.  Bon appetĂ­t!

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Lemon Orzo and Vegetable Primavera

Course Dinner
Cuisine Greek, Vegetables
Keyword dinner, easy, orzo, pasta, vegetables
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6
Author nomastehungry

Ingredients

For the vegetables

  • 1 cup Orzo
  • 1 zucchini sliced then halved
  • 2 bell peppers orange and yellow
  • 1 pkg fresh spinach
  • 1 large onion or onions and 1 shallot, sliced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced
  • 1 cup feta
  • 3-4 tbsp oil I used avocado oil

For the dressing mixture

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  • 1 half squeezed lemon
  • 1/2 tbsp pepper

Instructions

  1. In a large sautĂ© pan, drizzle one tbsp oil into the pan and turn heat onto medium. Add the sliced onion and shallot mixture to the pan and cook until fragrant and translucent (should be able to see through the onions), approximately 8-10m.  Set aside.

  2. Add a tbsp of butter to the same pan and pour in the spinach.  Cook until leaves are wilted and soft.  Season with garlic powder and set aside.

  3. Pour another tbsp into the pan.  Layer in the sliced zucchini and cook until browned and the zucchini starts to sweat (10m).  Set aside.

  4. Add in sliced tomatoes and bell peppers and cook until fragrant and the tomatoes begin to soften.  Layer back in all of the other cooked vegetables.  Drizzle a pinch of salt and pepper, add garlic powder.  Stir to blend.

  5. Meanwhile, boil a pot of water (3-4 qts).  Add in the cup of orzo and cook for 8-9 minutes depending on packaging. Drain and pour into vegetable mixture.  Mix well.

  6. Drizzle the lemon olive oil mixture into the pan and stir to spread the dressing.  Sprinkle crumbled feta on top and serve immediately.

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