This is one of the most perfect side dishes I have ever made. I do what the recipe states except I do not add any basil. While the orzo is cooking in the chicken broth I saute 8 oz of sliced mushrooms in olive oil, set aside in a bowl and then saute an entire bag, maybe 10 oz of baby spinach in olive oil for maybe 30 seconds and then when the orzo is done cooking I mix it altogether and add the parm cheese. I make this with any meat and it is always LOVED.
Very good recipe with marvelous flavor. I did note that I needed a 1/2 can more of chicken broth to finish cooking the orzo. Served with Roasted Chicken and a Orange, Walnut, Gorgonzola and Mixed Greens Salad with Fresh Citrus Vinaigrette from this site.
Hubby said, "Too much cheese"--yet cleaned his plate. I thought it was SO good, and wished he WOULD have left it on his plate so I could have ate it since I only made enough for two servings. Just delicious.
This is a yummy recipe! My husband was really impressed. However I had two concerns...it only took about 7 minutes before all the liquid was absorbed. Do not leave it unattended on the stove or it might scorch. Also this must be served immediately or it gets very clumpy and hard to spoon out of the pan. I added a little olive oil and kept the heat on low and it helped this a bit. Overall this is a great side dish and a big hit with the family. I will cook it again soon. Thanks!
easy, pretty, and delicious! i used it as a side for salmon.
I also added a chopped tomato and pine nuts after the broth was absorbed.
I kept some extra chicken broth heated so that i could mix right before serving (the mix tends to dry out over time... so if you don't serve it right away, it is a good idea to have some extra broth on hand)
I loved this recipe! I made a few changes, but I feel certain, that it would be delicious just as it is written. I used part butter and part olive oil and I sauted minced garlic with the orzo. I then added crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of nutmeg and a good bit of parmesan cheese and ommited the basil. Yummy! I also think that for a really fast, but delicious side dish, I would made the recipe just as written, but instead of fresh basil, I would add a couple TBS of pesto!
Love, love LOVE this recipe!!! I'm so excited to have come across this one. It's such an easy recipe to prepare and the result is a restaurant quality dish that your family and friends will be impressed with. I used freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil and it was heavenly! Such a fantastic flavor! It tasted so good that my husband thought it was complicated and that I'd spent a lot of time on it. So happy to report that wasn't the case! Simple, yet REALLY delicious!! What more could you ask for? Did I already say that I LOVE this recipe???
I served this with Easy Focaccia from this website and a salad and it was a perfect meal. The only things I added were about 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese because we like the extra tang. I also sprinkled extra parmesan on top and dotted it with butter.
Easy to prepare and a nice taste. I used a whole box of orzo which was about triple the recipe. I also used the buillion cubes/water instead of the canned broth and less cheese. I liked the taste and it went well with fish or chicken.
IMO I didn't think this recipe was anything special. I followed the recipe as stated and even used fresh basil from my garden. I won't make again.
