This creamy orzo pasta is a kind of cozy recipes you’ll return to while you’re craving a simple, creamy pasta dish that’ll be prepared in underneath an hour. The true fantastic thing about this recipe is that we mix cottage cheese with garlicky sautéed tomatoes to make a creamy sauce that’s out-of-this-world-DELICIOUS.
Whether or not you want a brand new recipe for busy weeknights or particular events or are simply plain hungry, this orzo pasta is bound to fulfill. What makes this orzo pasta recipe distinctive? It’s a veggie-forward pasta recipe made with bursting cherry tomatoes and zucchini. Oh, and we creamed it with whipped cottage cheese for additional protein!
Your complete crew severely beloved this pasta a lot. We had enjoyable filming the video too and all went again for seconds it’s so scrumptious.
What’s In Creamy Orzo Pasta
- Cherry tomatoes: these candy, juicy tomatoes add a burst of taste and coloration to the dish. They pair completely with the creamy sauce and add a pleasant texture.
- Cottage cheese: when blended with garlic and tomatoes, it creates a wealthy, creamy marinara sauce with out the added energy from heavy cream.
- Tomato paste: this will get instantly blended with the orzo, so that you’ll wish to be sure it’s evenly distributed. It provides a deeper tomato taste and helps thicken the sauce.
- Orzo pasta: this small rice-shaped pasta is ideal for absorbing all of the scrumptious flavors within the dish.
- Zucchini: we love the way in which chunks of zucchini add a little bit of crunch and recent taste to the creamy pasta.
- Contemporary basil: this herb offers the recipe its signature Italian style. We advocate utilizing recent basil.
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Solid Iron Pan
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Variations and Substitutions
This tomato orzo recipe is sort of a clean canvas you could customise to your liking.
- Swap the cheese: As an example, if you happen to’d reasonably use cream cheese or ricotta cheese as an alternative of cottage cheese, go for it! Simply word that the feel and taste will barely differ. You can even add or swap greens like bell peppers, spinach, or mushrooms for additional taste.
- Make it vegetarian: If you wish to make this dish vegetarian, merely use vegetable broth as an alternative of hen broth. Quite the opposite, if you wish to add some protein, strive including cooked hen or shrimp to the dish to make it a whole entree.
- Herb it up: Lastly, if you happen to’re not a fan of basil, be happy to experiment with different herbs like rosemary or thyme. You may additionally add them along with basil for a extra herb-forward dish. Something is honest sport, actually!
Ideas for Creamy Orzo Pasta
- To make this recipe even faster, you need to use pre-cooked orzo. Simply make sure to scale back the cooking time accordingly.
- Don’t skip the step of mixing the cottage cheese, garlic, and tomatoes. That is what offers the dish its creamy texture.
- Whenever you mix in step #3, make certain you mix the sauce till it’s gentle and virtually frothy. That can make sure that it doesn’t curdle.
Storage + Freezer Instructions
Retailer any leftover creamy orzo pasta in an hermetic container and retailer it within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
We don’t advocate freezing this recipe, as it’s cream-based and received’t hold its identical texture or taste.
Serving Ideas
This creamy orzo pasta with blended cottage cheese would pair properly with meat dishes like our Seared Beef Tenderloin Roast, Cast Iron Steak, or Easy Whole Roasted Chicken.
To stability out the savory flavors, add this Apple Burrata Salad or Arugula Salad on the aspect.
Elements
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ¼ white onion minced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup 2% or entire fats cottage cheese
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt separated
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1.25 cups orzo pasta
- 1 medium zucchini cubed (~2 cups)
- 1.5 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup thinly sliced recent basil
- Non-obligatory purple pepper flakes
Directions
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Warmth 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a big skillet over medium warmth. When the oil turns into aromatic, add the onion and prepare dinner for 2-3 minutes, the onions needs to be translucent.
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Add the paprika, 1.5 teaspoons of the salt, and pepper. Stir to mix.
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Add the garlic and tomatoes and prepare dinner for one more 2-3 minutes.
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Switch the tomato combination to a blender. Add the cottage cheese and mix on excessive velocity for 2-3 minutes. The sauce needs to be gentle and the cheese needs to be fully blended. Put aside.
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Subsequent, add the remaining olive oil to the skillet. When the oil turns into aromatic add the tomato paste and prepare dinner for 1 minute.
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Add the orzo to the pan to toast for about 2 minutes.
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Add the zucchini, remaining salt, and hen broth to the skillet. Stir and produce to a boil. Place the lid on the highest and scale back the warmth to a simmer. Cook dinner for 10-12 minutes. The orzo needs to be totally cooked and comfortable.
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Take away from the warmth. Switch the cottage cheese sauce to the pan and stir to mix. Permit to sit down for five minutes earlier than serving.
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To serve add recent basil and crushed purple pepper flakes.
Ideas & Notes
- Make this dish vegetarian through the use of vegetable broth
- Rosemary or thyme might be used on this recipe in place or along with the basil.
- Whenever you mix in step #3 make certain you mix the sauce till it’s gentle and virtually frothy.
- That can make sure that it doesn’t curdle.
Vitamin information
Energy: 366kcal Carbohydrates: 46g Protein: 15g Fats: 14g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 8g
Pictures: pictures taken on this publish are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.