Cheesy Orzo

As I have recently found there are a lot of people out there that do not know what orzo is; I’m here to tell inform you. Orzo is pasta that looks like rice before it is cooked. I ate it a lot when I was a kid and loved it, so this past weekend I introduced my husband to this great pasta. I kind of just threw a few things together and it turned out great; that seems to happen a lot.

So, for those of you that love pasta, and even those of you out there that are eat healthy, this dish is for you. It is great as the main dish for either lunch or dinner, but can also easily be a side dish.

Keep in mind that this recipe is what I made the other day, with the amount of pasta that we had; you can tweak it in any way that you want. In the future I will most probably come back and edit this recipe.

What You’ll Need…

1 ½ lbs. Orzo Pasta

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil (1 tablespoon per half pound of pasta)

½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 ½ Teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper (Optional, you can leave it out if you don’t like spicy food.)

1 ½ Teaspoons Garlic Powder

¾ Teaspoon Salt

Fill a large pasta pot about ¾’s of the way full with water. Remember, orzo, like rice expands when it cooks. A bigger pan and a lot of water it helpful. Bring the water to a boil.

Once the water has come to a boil add the pasta. Let the water come back to a boil and cook the pasta for 8-12 minutes. I know that this is a big gap, but it all depends on how you like your pasta cooked. I do not like al dente, I like to be able to chew my pasta. To check the doneness of the pasta just try a piece.

When the pasta has cooked drain it, a kitchen sifter works great for this. The pasta is small so it will go through most regular sized colanders. After draining the pasta pour it into either a serving bowl or back into the pot.

Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pasta and mix; coat the pasta. Now, add the cheese. Mix again at this point so that the cheese is all through the pasta, but also so that it melts. Add the salt, garlic powder, and crushed red. Again mix thoroughly.

Enjoy as the main course or as a side to something, perhaps chicken or beef. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!