Try This Delicious Carrot Orzo Recipe As A Great Side Dish
This is the most delicious carrot orzo recipe. Have you ever heard of a pasta called orzo? Orzo is the Italian word for barley but in the US, it is commonly know as an enriched durum semolina pasta. It's a rice shaped, great in pasta salads, soups and one of my favorite dishes, seafood orzo salad.
How to Cook Orzo
The easiest way to cook orzo is with lots of water. For example, to cook one cup of orzo, I would bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, add 1 teaspoon of salt and gradually pour in the orzo and stir immediately.
Bring the water back to a boil and cook for 8 - 10 minutes. Drain immediately and season to taste. 1 cup of uncooked orzo yields about 2 ½ cups of cook orzo.
However in this recipe, the orzo is going to act more like an aborio rice for making risotto. We are going to add just enough liquid so it all gets absorbed into the orzo pasta. I'm not sure why the recipe doesn't just use all chicken stock and no water for more flavor. I'll experiment with this and see if it makes a difference.
📖 Recipe
Carrot Orzo – a Great Side Dish
Ingredients
- 1½ cups carrots peeled
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup orzo
- 1½ cups water
- 1¼ cups chicken stock
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons green onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary. minced
Instructions
- A food processor is the easiest way to process the carrots but you could cut everything up by hand. It will definitely add to the prep time. Process the carrots using the on/off or pulse button on your processor until the carrots are finely cut up.
- Heat your saucepan over medium heat, add butter. When the butter is melted, add the orzo and carrots and cook (saute) until the orzo is golden. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Add the water, chicken stock and minced garlic. Let this all cook uncovered until all the water and chicken stock are absorbed into the orzo being sure to stir frequently. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Now it's time to add the Parmesan cheese, green onions and rosemary. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt & pepper.
annette
i made this,very tasty....I always cook this pasta,{being italian} the carrots gave it more flavor......
June
Thanks so much for this recipe. I've been searching recently for some new things to do with orzo. I live in the UK, and it's a bit difficult to find here - was much easier in the States! My favorite recipe is for an orzo salad - it's a long recipe but fantastic.. marinated red peppers and zucchini with red onion and garlic... mixed with cooked orzo.
Mark
I've made the carrot orzo several times, and it is always a hit. It's so easy to substitute other vegetables as well for a variation. I would recommend using all stock and no water. Also, don't make the mistake and use broth. It comes out too salty.
Denise
Trader Joe's has an AWSOME orzo salad with olives, feta and red peppers! I also have a great Mushroom Orzo Dish that is like a Mushroom Risotto - YUMMY!
Marianne Sinclair
So, Denise, are you going to share your Mushroom Orzo recipe?
shawn kelly
I love it! I perfectly love. This one of a kind. I agree that the carrot really add up to the taste. And I agree with Mike that it is better to use all stock and no water.
Thanks Shawn - RG