Now that I am home with my girls, I have really been enjoying cooking for them and my husband (of course!) so I have been constantly looking for quick and easy dishes, especially for lunch. Before I had kids, I would buy a lot of instant pasta. You know, the ones with everything already made and frozen – including the sauce- and all you do is heat it up in a skillet or pan? Let me just say that I am not frowning on instant pasta (frozen or non-frozen) at all and I think that Trader Joe’s has a lot of great, yummy ones. But, there has to be a “but”- now that I have so many easy, quick recipes at my finger tips, I’d much rather cook for my family when I can.
Pasta. Dude, it’s so easy. And you can throw so many different veggies in there and make so many different kinds of sauces.. it’s really versatile and again- really quick and easy. This dish took me about 20-25 minutes and if you do these things- you are set and ready to cook at any time:
- Keep your pantry stocked with a variety of pasta and chicken broth (I always make sure I have at least 2 boxes of chicken broth)
- Keep your fridge stocked with a variety of fresh veggies like: mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, bell peppers, fresh herbs etc
- Keep your fridge stocked with cheese of some sort. You can’t go wrong with parmesan and I highly recommend grating the cheese on your own so buy those cheese wedges and not the pre-grated ones. You get little to no flavor with the pre-grated ones.
- Make sure you always have onions (red and white or yellow), garlic (or crushed garlic), olive oil and balsamic vinegar on hand
So, here’s a fantastic tasting, super fast (in about 25 minutes) Orzo recipe and you could really use any kind of pasta in this dish. Hope you give this one a try! Enjoy!
Summer Orzo with Peas and Mushrooms
- 3- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound orzo pasta
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped Green onion to sprinkle on top (optional)
- Bring the chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the orzo and cook until almost tender, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until the mushrooms are beginning to turn golden around the edges, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the peas and the orzo mixture to the skillet. Mix well and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
This recipe was adapted from Giada’s. . but she made a baked Orzo with Fontina cheese and peas. Her recipe is heavier and requires baking so it’s takes longer but I am sure it’s divine. To see Giada’s recipe, click here.
I remember using Trader Joe’s instant pastas! This orzo looks great. Also wanted to let you know that I was inspired by your soba noodle post and made them for dinner last night. (I will post later on in the day).
Awesome! How did it turn out? Can’t wait to read your post!