Cheesey Basil Orzo Pasta

-

2 tbsp Olive oil
1 c. Orzo pasta
1 can Chicken broth (14.5 ounce)
1/2 c. Red onion, chopped
1/4 c. Fresh basil, chopped
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetarian option: substitute the chicken broth with a vegetable broth.


Heat the olive oil in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.


Stir in chicken stock and bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 - 20 minutes.

While the orzo is cooking, chop up the fresh basil and set aside.



Soften the red onion in a small frying pan using a little bit of olive oil. Set aside.

When the orzo is cooked, stir in the red onion, fresh basil and the parmesan cheese.


Season with salt and pepper.

My comments:

I made myself a little herb garden this summer and I was desparately looking for recipes to use my fresh herbs. I wanted to explore new recipes with herbs I'm growing and my hubby came across this easy pasta side dish using fresh basil. My favourite herb is the sweet basil because it smells fantastic. So I was pretty excited about trying this new recipe.

I have made this pasta a few times and I have made a few modifications to the original recipe. I subtituted the butter with olive oil because I found the butter taste a little overpowering. I also wanted to make this dish "healthier", so I only added enough oil to brown the orzo. I was a little skeptical at the "browning" step the first time I made the pasta but it turned out really easy to do and it gave the orzo an amazing aroma. Also, I added the red onion to the pasta because it made the dish more flavourful.

This was one of the best side dish I have ever made. It was easy to do and it tasted really good. My hubby liked it so much that he kept asking me to make more. I found the most important thing in perfecting this dish is the use of a flat bottom heavy skillet. The flat bottom allows the orzo to brown evenly, which you can't do with a wok-shaped pan.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crunchy Oat Fudge Bars

-
Image
Adapted from First Look, Then Cook . Crust and topping 1 c. Rolled oats 1/4 c. Flax seeds 2/3 c. Brown sugar, unpacked 3/4 c. Whole wheat flour (or all-purpose) 1/4 tsp Baking powder 1/4 tsp Baking soda 1/8 tsp Salt 1/4 c. Unsalted butter, melted Filling 1/4 c. All-purpose flour 1/4 tsp Salt 1.5 c. Semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 tbsp Unsalted butter 1 Large egg, beaten 1 tsp Vanilla 2 tsp Instant coffee (optional) Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease an 8" square pan or use a silicone square pan. Combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir in melted butter.  Set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture for the topping. Press the remaining oat mixture onto the bottom of the square baking pan.  Bake for 8 min, until the crust is golden brown. Set the crust aside to cool while you prepare the fudge filling. Melt chocolate chips with the butter in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.  Allow the chocolate mixture to cool fo
Read more

Thai Curry Stir-Fried Rice

-
Image
3 c. Cooked rice* 2-3 tbsp Vegetable oil 1 Green onions, chopped 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced 3 Eggs 1/2 Fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks 3/4 c. Vegetables** 1 tbsp Sesame oil 2 tbsp Soya sauce 2 tsp Curry powder 1-2 tsp Thai curry paste * Freshly cooked rice has too much moisture and it is too soggy to fry; therefore, it is best to use leftover rice. If you don't have leftover rice, you can cool freshly cooked rice to room temperature and then place the rice in the refrigerator, uncovered, for a minimum of 1 hour to reduce the moisture. ** You can use any vegetables you like. I used frozen vegetable mix because it was the easiest thing to do and I thaw the vegetables to room temperature. Alternatively, you can chop up fresh vegetables into small pieces (eg. carrots, mushrooms, peppers, etc.), pre-cook them on the frying pan and drain the excess liquid. Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil to the rice and break up the rice into grains with a fork. Set aside. Stir together the soya sauce,
Read more

Chinese Beef Congee

-
Image
1 c. Chinese white rice 6 c. Water 1/2 lb. Lean ground beef 1 Salted duck egg Salt & pepper to taste Lettuce, thinly sliced Sauce: 2 Green onion, chopped 3 tbsp Soya sauce (Kikkoman) 1/2 tsp Sesame oil Wash the rice several times with water. Drain out as much water as possible. Refridgerate for a few hours to let the water soak into the rice. It is easiest to pre-soak the rice overnight or in the morning, so that the rice will be ready to cook when you come home from work. In a large pot, boil the water and add the rice. Let it simmer for 30 min on medium heat. The rice should become very soft and fluffy and the liquid is slightly thickened. The consistency of the congee is typically similar to a Western style cream soup, but you can always add or reduce the water to make the congee to your desired consistency. I like my congee with medium consistency (not too watery but not too thick). While the rice is cooking, lightly marinade the ground beef with a little bit of salt or
Read more