This quick and easy parmesan spinach orzo pairs well with chicken, fish, or as a standalone dish!
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When I was little, I always gave my mom a hard time about making orzo.
I picked a fight every time we ate it because “it’s not pasta, it’s rice!” and would have to sit there and (un)patiently listen to her tell me that it is, in fact, pasta.
It was a whole big thing. But I’m over it (sorry, Mom).
Even though it still LOOKS a lot like rice. Just saying.
Anywho, my mom sent me some rice orzo in a care package awhile back, and I recently discovered the last half of the package sitting in my pantry. “Eureka!” I thought. “I’ll make some orzo!”
And make orzo I did.
This parmesan spinach orzo rice pasta is great because it is quick to make but still flavorful. Annnnd it has parmesan cheese. Which means I am instantly a fan.
Plus, it’s a great, light side dish for pretty much anything. Pair this orzo with chicken, fish, meat, or a side of grilled veggies.
Versatility! I like it.
This spinach orzo has quickly become one of my favorite go-to dinner dishes.
It’s a great, quick side dish, but it also tastes great when you double the sauce recipe and toss it with some grilled fish or chicken.
Want to make it even heartier? Add steamed broccoli, peas, or any other veggies you have on hand to the mix.
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An easy parmesan spinach orzo recipe for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups uncooked orzo (I used whole wheat)
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp. flour
- 1 cup milk (I used skim)
- 2/3 cup spinach, chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute or until onions are translucent.
- Add flour to pot, stir to form a roux, and cook for an additional minute.
- Add milk to the pot a little at a time and whisk constantly to work out any lumps from the roux. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened, about 8 minutes.
- Add chopped spinach to sauce and cook an additional 2 minutes or until spinach has cooked down. Remove sauce from heat.
- Stir parmesan cheese into sauce. When cheese has melted, add cooked orzo to sauce and toss to coat. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Notes
Add chicken, shrimp, sausage, sautéed mushrooms, broccoli, or any other veggies you have on hand to this orzo to make it a little heartier.
This recipe makes just enough sauce to cover the orzo. If you’d like a little more sauce, reduce the amount of dry orzo by 1/2 cup or add a bit of extra milk to the sauce during cooking.
If the sauce is too thin, let it cook for a few extra minutes. Too thick? Add a splash of milk to thin it out.
Use shallots or yellow or white onions in place of the green onions if you like.
Pamela says
June 23, 2019 at 7:22 PMMy husband and I loved it.. only used half the Orzo though.. Never had Orzo before, will definitely be making this again.. Thank you for the recipe 🤗
★★★★★
Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry says
July 1, 2019 at 1:34 PMHi Pamela – thank you!
Diann says
January 30, 2016 at 11:11 AMI’m gonna have to try this bc it sounds similar but not exact to a recipe I have using orzo and it is delicious, but bc my recipe is so much more fattening, I only make it once in a great while..so if I can find a healthier alternative that comes close to it, I’m all for it. Thanks 🙂
ShayLynne says
September 19, 2015 at 12:16 PMWould absolutely love to try this recipe, but unfortunately (as someone else commented) the only ingredient showing is the orzo (3 times!). Can you fix the recipe please? Something must have happened to the ingredient list. Would love to try making it.
Jessie says
September 19, 2015 at 2:21 PMThere was a glitch with my recipe plugin, but I reloaded it and it should be working now! Thanks for letting me know – I hope you enjoy the orzo!
Amy Lambert says
December 5, 2015 at 10:43 AMThe only ingredient listed is the orzo (twice). I would really love to make this for dinner tomorrow. Can you send me the recipe?
Jessie says
December 6, 2015 at 8:38 PMI reloaded the recipe and it should be working now!
Whitney says
June 24, 2014 at 6:43 PMJust made this for dinner! Super yummy! My husband and 2 year old absolutely loved it!! Thanks for sharing!
Jessie says
July 16, 2014 at 11:27 AMI’m glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
Rebecca says
September 18, 2015 at 7:51 PMOh no looks like this recipe got messed up! The ingredient list just lists the orzo 3 times.
Jessie says
September 19, 2015 at 2:20 PMIt looks like my recipe plugin decided to misbehave! I reloaded it from my end and it should be working fine now – thanks for letting me know it wasn’t working!
Eleasha says
May 6, 2014 at 5:45 PMThis was fabulous! I didn’t use all the orzo I cooked cause I didn’t want it to be too pasta heavy and I added chicken. Also realized I was out of milk so I substituted light Alfredo sauce I had. Sooo good!
Jessie says
June 15, 2014 at 6:14 PMI’m happy to hear that you liked it! I love adding chicken to this orzo – thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
Catherine Graham says
January 20, 2014 at 11:00 PMLooks fantastic + easy.
Kelly says
January 13, 2014 at 4:03 PMGreat recipe – my husband & I loved it!
(we did double the spinach & parmesan)
*It may be helped to specify “cooked” or “un-cooked” orzo. We decided to go with 2 1/2 cups COOKED orzo & that seemed to be a good ratio of pasta to sauce, but I think specifying either way would be helpful for people following your recipe. Thanks!
Jessie says
February 8, 2014 at 11:41 AMThanks for the feedback! I’m glad you liked the orzo!