Orzo Bean Stew

Now that Fall is upon us, it's time to start making those one-pot-wonders that just have that warming feel-good effect. This dish exemplifies that. It makes a great lunch or add some ground beef, turkey or pork and serve for dinner.









Ingredients: (serves 2)

-3/4 cup orzo
- 2 cups sauce (see my other sauce recipes)
- 1/4 onion, diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 can dark red kidney beans
1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 fresh basil leaves

To Make:

In a small pot, fill with water and boil. Add salt and cook the orzo until tender. Drain and do not rinse.

In the meantime, saute the onions with the olive oil on medium heat. Add in the frozen peas and cook for about 5 minutes. Season with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Mix together. Next drain and completely rinse off the kidney beans. Add them into the mixture. Next, mix in 2 cups of your favorite sauce. Season lightly with the remaining garlic powder, salt and pepper and add in the crushed red pepper flakes.

Take the cooked orzo and mix into everything. Let this cook for about 5 minutes, covered on medium low heat.

Take a handful of fresh basil and drizzle on top. Serve while hot!

Orzo, Fresh Spinach and Boca

The fresh spinach in this dish really makes it pop. Healthy, delishious and beautiful all in one. (serves 2)

Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound orzo
- 3 handfuls fresh spinach, lighty chopped
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- olive oil
- boca crumbles
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- crushed red pepper
- salt
- pepper

To Make:
Boil a pot with salted water, cook the orzo and take out 2 minutes early.

In the meantime, drizzle olive oil into a deep pan and saute the onions, boca crumbles and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Add in the spinach. Season with salt and pepper.

Add in the almost cooked orzo and ladle in one scoop of pasta water. Add in the cheese and 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper and more salt and pepper. Toss together.

Cover and let simmer for 2 minutes.

Serve while hot and with extra parmesan cheese on top.

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!