Parmesan and Spinach Orzo
This creamy orzo dish is a wonderful side or light main dish, and it’s sure to be a hit with the entire family!
Orzo is one of my favorite kind of pastas. It may be due to the fact that I grew up on Korean rice my entire childhood, so it’s really no surprise that I would love this pasta in rice-shaped form. And when you couple that with the amazing flavors of the salty Parmesan and fresh spinach in a light cream sauce, what’s not to love?
Now the great thing about this dish is how versatile it is, serving it as either a light main dish or a side dish. We served it alongside the pan roasted lemon chicken, although I may have had this orzo as a main dish instead. After all, when Parmesan and pasta is involved, I have no self control. I just kept telling myself that with the fresh spinach, this was really a salad.
Parmesan and Spinach Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ½ cups spinach, roughly chopped
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan until melted, about 1 minute. Add orzo and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
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I made this last night with a seafood stuffed salmon and I ate two servings of the orzo and left half my salmon for lunch today. It was so good, next time I think I will have this as my main dish instead of a side.
This was fabulous!!! I added slices of nature’s promise (from Giant grocery store) chicken,feta,spinach sausage links. I added 2, to the recipe listed. This was a great addition!! It would also be great with grilled shrimp mixed in…or as the blog says, as a side dish. Because of its richness, I will probably serve this as a side dish from now on, but if your belly can handle super creamy main dishes, this one’s for you!!
Found this via Pinterest – very good and easy to make! Thank you.
Lovely recipe. Just had it this p.m. with grilled chicken (yes, I grill all year long!). I used 1/2 a largish yellow onion. My preference for recipes is to state the amount of the dice. I felt that a large onion would be too much. Half was just right…just a little bit more than 1/2 cup diced.
Also, I added the garlic after the onion became transulescent to prevent scorching.
Thanks for sharing.
I made this tonight. I used half and half instead of milk. It was delicious!
This has become one of my go-to recipes. Great as a side dish, but I often use it as the base for a main dish and add a protein or other sautéed veggies. You are making me look good!
I am so glad I have discovered your website! You have recipes that are fast, easy, and don’t involve busywork–and that taste amazing. Made 2 of your soups already and can’t wait to try this one tonight. Seriously, I am pregnant, working 40+ hours a week and it’s now a crispy 10 degrees where I live–cooking should be the last thing I want to do when I get home, but so far your recipes have been downright fun and easy to make! Thank you for being a weeknight lifesaver 🙂
This was amazing! Made it last night – I was intending it as a side dish but it was so delicious it became the main course. Will definitely be making this again soon!
I made this today and ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! It was amazing. I subbed in whole wheat orzo, skim milk and fat free parmesan and it was still super tasty. That’s saying something because I am super critical of subbing in healthier options (I like my cheese full fat, damn it!) but have recently been trying to eat better. This was a definite make again dish, even with the substitutions.
Hello! This recipe looks delicious!! I can’t wait to make it. What would you recommend as a substitute for the milk? Do you think whole wheat flour will work in the recipe?
You can certainly substitute whole wheat flour but I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish as further recipe testing is needed. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Just made this for dinner, really good. I topped it with chopped up tomatoes mixed with salt. Even better. 🙂 thanks for the great recipe
This is delicious! I do it with spaghetti and my children love it. A new family favorite, thank you!
Hello, Chung-Ah,
Loved your Parmesan and Spinach Orzo recipe! Thank you! Had some orzo in cupboard for long time and didn’t know what to do with it. Made a few alterations to your recipe (mostly out of necessity) and thought would share: substituted homemade chicken broth for milk, used frozen spinach (all I had), and added basil at the end to add flavor. Inhaling it now as I type, and can’t wait to make again! Thanks again.
JAZ
Just made this tonight and am eating it for dinner as my entree. It is just right, creamy yet light, and so yummy! Thank you!
My husband and I really enjoyed this. I added about 1/2 a lb. spicy and sweet crumbled Italian Sausage and 1 tsp chili flakes. I didn’t bother with the olive oil since the sausage rendered enough liquid to brown the onions in. So good! I’ll be putting this meal into my rotation. Thanks again!
I found this recipe this evening while making dinner, I had all the ingredients and decided to give it a try. Absolutely delicious with no changes to the recipe. It was my first time making Orzo but won’t be the last…this recipe was a big hit with the family! I used it as a side dish with poached scallops.
Loved this! Made for a “meatless monday” meal… added roasted chickpeas to make it a full main dish.. it was wonderful! Great recipe
Can you use a different type of pasta? Will it still turn out ok? Thanks!
It is best to use orzo for this recipe.
Tried this recipe last night and it was soooo good. It was super creamy and has lots of flavor. I really would like to put this in my fitness pal. Does anyone have the nutritional facts?
I too am looking for nutritional facts for MFP. May calculate on my own when I make this… will let you know if I figure it out.
This was amazing! I didn’t even put my twist or it it was great as written. Thanks