Versatile Orzo

Creamy orzo risotto is one of those recipes that prove how versatile this pasta truly is.

There’s just so many ways to use it. Since you had to buy some if you wanted to make my shrimp and zucchini with orzo, then here’s a way to use up what you bought!

If you haven’t used it, orzo is shaped like rice grains. In fact it’s used lots of times to stand in for rice. Mostly I use it in one-dish meals to add a bit of bulk and extend the meal. It’s texture is unlike rice in as much as it has a very silky texture and as a result, adds a nice textural component to those one-pot meals.

Easily Made Vegan

This orzo risotto uses milk, chicken stock and cheese. You can easily substitute vegetable stock and then it becomes vegetarian for those who include dairy in their diets.

However, it can easily be made vegan with further substitutions. Of course it stands to reason that you’d also use vegetable stock in place of the chicken. You can substitute one of the many plant-based milks for the regular kind. Personally, I think almond milk would be a terrific choice. As for the cheese, I know there’s many now on the market which are plant based. How good they melt, I can’t say. However, they should taste fine, even if they don’t melt. And another option is just to leave them out; the risotto will taste perfectly fine even without them.

Spinach: Fresh Or Frozen

Anyone who has hung around my site for any length of time knows I am a big advocate of fresh.

It’s no different in this recipe when it comes to the spinach. My choice is pre-washed organic baby spinach mainly because it can be used straight from the bag. You can, of course, use frozen. Because frozen is already wilted, just halve the amount of the fresh. Make sure you measure it after you’ve squeezed the water out of it. But I truthfully don’t measure it. I just toss in what looks about right. And don’t feel constrained to using less. If you love spinach, throw in as much as you like and make it the main ingredient–especially if you want more veggie than pasta.

The Recipe

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Creamy Spinach & Orzo Risotto

Serve it as a side or a main dish.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Main/Side, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy risotto, orzo side dishes, risotto using orzo, using orzo pasta, vegan risotto

Servings: 6

Calories: 463kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 lb dried orzo pasta about 2 1/2 cups
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups packed baby spinach coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat until shimmering.
• Add the onion and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and orzo, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the broth and milk and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed and has formed a creamy sauce, about 10 minutes. (If the orzo isn’t completely cooked once this has happened, you can add another splash or two of broth to the pot and continue to simmer until it has.)
• Stir in the spinach and grated cheeses until the spinach has just wilted and the cheese melts, about 1 minute.
• Taste and and add salt & pepper if necessary

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 299mg | Potassium: 448mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1177IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 308mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Creamy Orzo Risotto appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

An updated and jazzier version of this timeless classic.  Made with Greek yogurt, of course!

I haven’t had this in YEARS.  Since I left NYC and the last time was when a friend’s mom made it.  Many moons ago. And this came with many fond memories of that friend’s mother–Sylvia Friedman–one of the BEST Jewish cooks I ever knew.  Needless to say she was the quintessential “Jewish Mother” too–not just to her own kids, but she’d adopt others, like me!!!

This wasn’t the way she made it.  Hers was more of a classic. Contained no fancy schmantzy cheeses, just sour cream and cottage cheese.  I omitted the cottage cheese and used Greek yogurt. I happen to LOVE cottage cheese, but many more DON’T so best to leave it out.  Basically, it’s her recipe except for the addition of the fancy schmantzy cheeses and the yogurt.

I used Chobani® plain in this.


Three Cheese Noodle Pudding

• 2 cups plain greek yogurt 
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter, divided
• 1/4 cup shredded asiago cheese
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 oz wide egg noodles
• 2 tbs salt (for noodle water)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbs fresh snipped chives (optional for garnish)

Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl.  Melt 1/4 cup of butter. Add the yogurt, sour cream, melted buter, asiago cheese, romano cheese and 3 tbs of the parmesan.  Set aside.

In a very large pot, bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the 2 tbs salt to the water.  Stir.  Add noodles and stir to prevent sticking.  Cook about 5 minutes or until very al dente (firm but not hard).  Drain in a colander and rinse noodles under cold running water.  Place in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a heavy skillet, melt the remaining butter.  Raise the heat to medium and add the garlic and onion.  Saute until semi caramelized, about 8-10 minutes.  Stir mixture often; do not let it burn. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly spray or grease a 11 x 7-inch baking pan (or any 2 quart casserole).

Add the entire contents of the skillet (onions, garlic and butter) to the yogurt/cheese mixture.  Add the 1 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper.  Combine well.

Add the yogurt/cheese/onion mixture to the noodles.  Stir well to combine.

Turn noodles into prepared pan and sprinkle top with the remainng parmesan cheese.  Bake 35-45 minutes or until top of casserole is golden brown.  Remove from oven and top with chives if using.


Good hot, warm or cold.


Makes 9 servings

Three Cheese Noodle Pudding

Three Cheese Noodle Pudding

The post Three Cheese Noodle Pudding: Meatless Mondays appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Starting this Monday, August 5th, each Monday’s post or at least one post, will be dedicated to a meatless meal.

Going meatless a couple of days a week has become a big trend.  It’s also a great budget saver!  Many many satisfying meals can be made without meat.

The recipes will be either vegetarian (those that eat dairy and eggs) or totally vegan. This will be a “linky party” where other blogs may participate, so each Monday post will have several recipes to choose from.  

FOR ALL BLOGGERS –All bloggers are welcome to participate and leave your link and a thumbnail of the recipe on each Meatless Monday post.  Just a reminder, that “NAME” is the name of the recipe.  That one always confused me LOL, but if you make a mistake, you can delete your entry yourself and re-do it.  Also, make sure to leave your “button” or “logo” and a link to the *homepage* of your blog on the “Participating Blogs” page.  Just click on the “Participating Blogs” graphic in the sidebar to reach the page.  And invite as many bloggers as you want to participate. Only rule is there can be no meat or meat stock, etc. in the dish.  Desserts and sweets are just fine!!

The post Get Ready For Meatless Mondays! appeared first on The Midnight Baker.