If you’re asking yourself, can you really make risotto with orzo, the answer is yes! Orzo risotto is the side dish you didn’t know you needed. It’s extra luxe, made with rice-shaped pasta (which is delicious in soups, by the way) instead of risotto made with traditional arborio rice. Each bite is a party in your mouth. Seriously luxurious with tender orzo pasta, a little knob of butter for sheen, and a splash of cream to make this just a little something special. Most of these ingredients are stashed in your pantry or refrigerator, I’m convinced. I like to hit it with a little splash of white truffle oil during the holidays just to make it perfect for serving with seared steak and shrimp, with my whole roasted chicken, lemon garlic braised chicken, or my chicken with garlicky mushroom cream sauce. But the truffle oil is totally optional! Orzo risotto is the side dish you didn’t know you needed! It’s one for the monthly meal rotation for sure.
Ingredients for this orzo risotto recipe
Olive Oil: You’ll need a glug of oil to saute the minced shallots, garlic, and dry orzo pasta in the pan.Chicken broth: If you’d like to keep this recipe vegetarian-friendly, you can use vegetable broth or stock instead of chicken.Shallot: I like to use a shallot for this recipe as it has a milder flavor and works well with the other ingredients. Feel free to swap it with a chopped white or yellow onion if you don’t have a shallot on hand.Garlic Cloves: MInce fresh garlic for this recipe if possible. The stuff in the jar doesn’t taste as great!Orzo Pasta: Orzo pasta is readily available in most grocery stores. You’ll need 10 oz. for this recipe. See below for subs if you can’t find it in your area. Fresh Thyme: Thyme adds a lemony flavor to the risotto. If you don’t have thyme on hand, you can finish the risotto with a pinch of freshly grated lemon zest.Seasonings: I use kosher salt, black pepper or white pepper, and mushroom powder to flavor the risotto. Umami seasoning is an ingredient that adds umami to any recipe that you use it in. It’s available at Trader Joe’s but you can also find it in mainstream grocery stores and online here. Typically made with ground-up mushrooms, and often labeled as mushroom powder as well!Unsalted Butter: You’ll need a knob of butter to finish the risotto. This just gives it a nice sheen and makes it glossy!Heavy Cream: I use 2 tbsp of heavy cream to finish the risotto. The cream helps balance all the other flavors and it pairs beautifully with the white truffle oil.Parmesan Cheese: Grated parmesan cheese is a must! It just adds another layer to the umami from the mushroom powder.White Truffle oil: This is an optional ingredient but I like to stir it in right at the end to give it a delicious, earthy flavor.
How to make orzo risotto
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Beef and Barley SoupGarlicky Orzo Shrimp ScampiMediterranean Tuna Orzo Summer SaladRoasted Garlic Pearl Couscous SaladHearty Minestrone Soup
Umami Seasoning is also often labeled ‘mushroom powder.’ This is an optional ingredient, but it does add a ton of rich flavor to the orzo risotto!
