Creamy Mushroom Spinach Orzo
This creamy, hearty orzo dish makes for the best vegetarian side dish ever! Loaded with mushrooms, spinach and freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the most amazing garlic Parmesan cream sauce. You can also add chicken and turn this into a main dish!
How bad is it that this was my dinner 4 nights in a row?
I don’t think I can eat any more orzo. Or mushrooms. Or spinach.
But I think I can give the Parmesan cream sauce a pass for now.
(Who are we kidding, right?)
But really, this orzo makes for such an amazing easy peasy veggie side dish.
It starts with a simple saute of mushrooms and shallots before your garlic cream sauce comes to magic.
With a little bit of flour, vegetable broth, half and half, and freshly grated Parmesan, this will truly be the cream sauce of your dreams.
Add chicken for a full meal, or keep it completely vegetarian.
Either way, it’ll be for dinner 4 nights in a row.
You’re welcome.
Creamy Mushroom Spinach Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups low sodium vegetable broth
- ½ cup half and half
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups shredded baby spinach
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and shallot, and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in vegetable broth, and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in half and half and Parmesan, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in orzo and spinach until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
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I just subscribed to your blog and haven’t been disappointed. All the recipes are so good and easy for a home cook. I can’t wait to try this , it looks so delicious.