For those of you who don’t know, orzo is the pasta that looks like fat rice. And for those of you who haven’t yet tried it, it is delicious and versatile. I definitely prefer orzo over rice. I like the texture of it so much more (not so dry), and I think it’s much more flavorful. You can easily use it for a main dish recipe (like this one), or just a simple side dish. Here is a great orzo recipe that I got from Rachael Ray (I say that like we’re friends and we hang out on the weekends or something!…I got it from Rachael Ray’s SHOW…not from Rachael Ray herself). She had made it as a side dish for lamb, but personally I think it’s a little bit too much work for a side dish, so I added some chicken and there you have a main dish! Here’s the recipe for it, I recommend trying this one, it’s a good one!

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped (I just push it through one of those garlic presses…much faster!)
• 2 shallots, chopped (I usually just use about a half of an onion cause I never have shallots on hand)
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 c. shredded carrots
• 1 tsp curry powder (I leave this out)
• 3 c. chicken stock
• 1 c orzo pasta (uncooked)
• 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
• 1-2 cups cooked chicken (see recommendations below)
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 c. frozen peas
• s&p

1. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add oil.
2. Add garlic, shallots, zucchini & carrots & saute for five minutes. Add curry powder (if using) & chicken broth & bring to a boil.
3. Add orzo & bring to a boil, cover & reduce heat to medium.
4. Cook, stirring occassionally until pasta absorbs the liquid and is al dente in texture, about ten minutes.
5. Uncover and stir in chicken, cheese, parsley & peas, heat through.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recommendations:

• Parsley: When you have the choice, you always want to use the flat leaf parsley (sometimes they call it Italian parsley) over the curly parsley. I never used to know there was a difference I just always used the curly stuff, but all of my cooking shows always said to use the flat leaf instead of the curly, so I finally tried the flat leaf kind and it’s true! It really is MUCH more flavorful! So take the food network’s advice and use the flat leaf anytime it’s available (I’m pretty sure it doesn’t cost any more).
• Chicken: As I said earlier, her original recipe didn’t have the chicken included in it but I prefer this as a main dish. So, I always add cooked chicken or leftover turkey. I plan this a lot in my meal planning on days after I’m going to make marinaded chicken or something like that and just make an extra piece or two of chicken to throw in this the next day. I haven’t tried shrimp in it yet, but I bet that would be really good too!

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