Orzo with Spinach

There is something about orzo that is very comforting to me. Orzo is great in many different recipes but this is one of my favorites because of how quick and easy it is. You can literally have this on your table in 15 min or less (it all depends on how fast you can boil water)



Ingredients:

- 1 cup orzo
- 1 cup spinach (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- Parmesan Cheese
- crushed red pepper
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- fresh basil, chopped

To Make:

Boil a small pot of salted water and cook the orzo for 8 minutes until al-dente, follow the package instructions.

In the meantime, drizzle olive oil into a large pan and saute the onion and garlic on med. high heat for about 5-6 minutes or until they are tender.

Add in fresh spinach or frozen spinach. Season with salt and pepper.

Note: If using frozen spinach, once adding into the pan, add more olive oil and cover immediately. If using fresh spinach, wash thoroughly and add into dish uncovered.

The frozen spinach will need to cook for about 8-10 minutes on medium-high heat. Fresh spinach should only cook for about 3-4 minutes on the same heat settings.

When the orzo is ready, drain and add immediately into the spinach mixture. Drizzle more olive oil over top and add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix together. To give this dish a kick, add 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper. Season everything with more salt and pepper and add more Parmesan cheese to top when serving. For extra flavor, top with FRESH BASIL... nothing beats fresh basil. It's the greatest!

Delicious! Best of all it's QUICK and nutritious!