So, you’re craving the glistening grains of a gooey risotto but don’t want to slave for hours over the stove? Open your doors to orzotto! Creamy chorizo and spinach orzo is a risotto-style pasta dish with all the texture and flavour of risotto but on the table in under 15 minutes. Minimum effort for maximum reward. If you’re new to cooking with orzo, this is the recipe to start with.
Orzo can be served hot and creamy, as in this recipe or this vegetarian creamy orzo pasta with butternut squash, or cool and al dente in this Greek orzo salad with grilled zucchini. How do you prefer yours?
Creamy orzo recipe
Orzo has been topping my shopping list for months now: it has a rapid cook time and feels like a break from go-to pasta. Plus, my family can’t get enough of it! So, I’m constantly having to come up with new recipes. This one is the quickest and easiest by far.
Orzo, whose small grains could fool you into thinking it’s rice, is 100% pasta. It has a high starch content which makes it perfect for making a faux-risotto.
This orzotto is flavoured with garlic and smoky chorizo and cooked in double cream (heavy cream US) with a generous handful of parmesan to create a lava-like consistency.
Unlike risotto, there’s no need to slowly add stock and stir, stir, stir for up to 30 minutes. In this recipe, after deglazing the pan with either white wine or stock, all the stock and cream can go in in one go. Just stir to make sure the orzo grains don’t stick and then let it simmer for 8 minutes.
To finish, throw in some spinach leaves and allow them to wilt. Done!
And if you love this dish, you need to give my Creamy Orzo Pasta Primavera! It uses a similar approach to making orzo, but with a fresh twist.
Recipe tips and notes
- You’ll notice that this orzo recipe seems very similar in method to risotto recipes. So similar it has been dubbed ‘orzotto’! Cute, right?!
- There is more than one type of chorizo out there, fyi. This recipe calls for the Spanish variety. Spanish chorizo has been cured and is a hard sausage shape. Not to be confused with Mexican chorizo, which is raw.
- You can buy Spanish chorizo ready-cubed, or as a whole sausage and dice it yourself.
- Any dry white wine will do for deglazing the pan. Or if you have some, dry Vermouth.
- If you prefer not to cook with wine, use ½ cup of chicken stock instead.
- I’ve used spinach in my recipe as it is so quick to cook, meaning this dish is ready in record time. But really you can use whatever you have that needs using up. Kale, green peas or beans, and broccoli are all excellent substitutes.
- Make sure you allow enough cooking time if you opt for a less leafy vegetable. Spinach takes no more than 2 minutes, whereas broccoli will take around 5 or so.
- We tend to eat this as a main dish for a quick and easy family dinner. But it could be served as a substantial side with chicken, pork or beef.
- As a recipe that’s heavy on cream, cheese and chorizo, it’s very rich. I like to eat mine with a simple side salad.
Serving suggestions
Chorizo and orzo are a versatile duo. This creamy dish is fortifying alone, although I eat mine with a green salad to offset the richness a tad, or supporting a meaty main.
For a meal that maximises protein, I’d serve chicken breasts. Either coated in this 4-ingredient chicken marinade– the lemon juice cuts through the cream and the paprika enhances the smoky chorizo flavour of the pasta. Or classic chicken parmesan for a super Italian experience.
Simply flavoured pork chops, or even a baked cod loin will hold their own against the bold orzotto flavours. If you are making a meal of it, stylish sides that compliment are warm zucchini salad with balsamic vinaigrette or pan-fried zucchini with basil and pecorino.
Storage and leftovers
Creamy orzo is definitely best served piping hot and oozy. If you have any leftovers though, store them in an airtight container and in the fridge for 2-3 days. The consistency will thicken and the pasta might get a little sticky, so to reheat add a good splash of boiling water and cook on the stove.
Other recipes to try:
- One Pan Lemon Chicken Orzo
- Tomato Cream Cheese Pasta with Chicken and Pancetta
- One Pan Greek Chicken and Orzo
- Baked Penne alla Vodka with Meatballs
Creamy Chorizo and Spinach Orzo
Ingredients
- 75g / ½ cup cured chorizo cubed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 200g / 1 cup orzo
- 125ml / ½ cup dry white wine
- 500ml / 2 cups chicken stock
- 250ml / 1 cup double / heavy cream
- 50g / ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 100g / 3.5 oz fresh spinach
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large pan cook the diced chorizo over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the chorizo resembles bacon bits, add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds while stirring.
- Add the orzo and stir until it’s coated in the fat from chorizo, then deglaze with the white wine and simmer over low heat for a minute or so or until the wine is reduced. Now add the chicken stock and double cream with a pinch of salt, stir well making sure no grains of orzo are sticking to the bottom of the pan, bring to a simmer and cook 8 minutes, then add spinach and cook for 2 minutes longer, stir in Parmesan cheese and take off the heat. Salt to taste.
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