Day 291: Orzo with Spinach ♥

Friday, January 27, 2006

Funny.

This pasta and spinach has been a year-round favorite for so long that it's made two cookbooks, one for church, one for family.

So how nearly 300 Veggie Venture days have passed without its appearance here is beyond explanation.

But with little ado, here it is, just simple orzo with spinach, Parmesan and pine nuts. Fast, easy, and unless you're a carb counter, not entirely unhealthful.

FOR THE RECORD This is A Veggie Venture's entreaty in the edible adventure called Is My Blog Burning, hosted this month by Cooking with Amy. (If you move fast, it's not too late to participate, see here for details. Or if you'd like to see who else's cooked what, click through on the tags near the bottom of this post.)

NEXT TIME I might add a finely minced chili with the garlic to punch up the flavor.

ORZO with SPINACH
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes
Makes 3 cups

1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon garlic (from a jar or 3 cloves, minced)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon was too little)
3/4 cups orzo or tiny pasta bits

2 tablespoon grated Parmesan (tonight I used about a tablespoon of blue cheese)
About 5 ounces spinach, stems removed if tough
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over MEDIUM HIGH. Add the garlic and let cook for a minute. Then add the water, salt and orzo. (Yes, to the cold water. This is an atypical way to cook pasta but it's the way the recipe I've been using for so many years is written and does work.) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to MEDIUM, cover and let simmer until pasta is done and water is absorbed. Stir in the Parmesan and stir to distribute. Stir in the spinach in batches, adding more as what's there wilts/cooks from the heat of the pasta. Stir in the pine nuts. Serve and enjoy.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Half Cup: 122 Cal (27% from Fat, 14% from Protein, 58% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 4 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 18 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; NetCarb16; 63 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 447 mg Sodium; 4 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 2 points

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Comments:

Gini on January 28, 2006

Gotta make this.Sounds so simple and delicious

anthony on January 28, 2006

Amazing blog. Sorry I missed while I blog hoped for my weekend links. You can check out the links on my weekend links festival, i believe i linked many veg dishes as well. I have also posted some simple easy to cook veg dishes. You might like them

boo_licious on January 30, 2006

I always see orzo on the supermarket shelves but never dared making anything. Thanks for your recipe as it sounds really simple and yummy that I must get some orzo now to try it out.

Alanna on January 30, 2006

Hey boo -- thanks for visiting all the way from Malaysia! Orzo is nothing more than pasta in a rice shape. Usually I like to use just tiny handfuls of it, say in a soup, because it gives the essence of pasta without all the calories. Alanna

Karen on January 30, 2006

I cook something like this, spaghettata. I'll try it with orzo sometime. Thanks for the idea!