Orzo is actually pasta - it looks like large rice grains, but it's made from durum wheat flour, just like regular dried pasta.

Is risoni the same as orzo?

Yes! You'll see orzo referred to as risoni often in Australia or New Zealand, but it is the same as orzo.

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can, it will keep well for 5 days stored in the fridge in a covered container. Like with any pasta, the orzo will keep absorbing liquid as it sits, so you'll need to add a couple of tablespoons of water when you heat it, to loosen up the sauce again. You can either reheat it gently on the stovetop, over low heat, or in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring as you go.

What else could I add?

This is a brilliant base recipe - I have a couple of recipes that are similar (try this cheesy tomato one-pot orzo or creamy spinach and feta orzo ) - so you can add whatever you like. You could add shrimp/prawns, grilled chicken, sundried tomatoes, olives, red peppers, broccoli, kale or really any leafy green or protein to bulk it out more.

What mushrooms are the best to use?

I'm just using regular white mushrooms because they tend to be the cheapest and most readily available, but you can use all types of mushrooms. Porcini, portobello, shiitake or oyster mushrooms would be lovely.

One Pot Mushroom Orzo

Name: One Pot Mushroom Orzo
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 onion, diced; 1 teaspoon salt; 10.5oz/300g mushrooms, thinly sliced; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; ¼ cup white wine; 1 tablespoon miso paste (optional); 1 ¼ cups orzo; 3 cups vegetable stock (or use chicken); 7oz spinach leaves; 1 lemon, zested; ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated; Handful of fresh basil leaves

Description

One pot, 20 minutes, and one seriously delicious mushroom orzo. This recipe is so easy, so quick and perfect for busy weeknights. It’s packed with veggies for a healthy – but comforting – meal the whole family will love.

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
10.5oz/300g mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon miso paste (optional)
1 1/4 cups orzo
3 cups vegetable stock (or use chicken)
7oz spinach leaves
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Handful of fresh basil leaves

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Cook the mushrooms. Add your olive oil to a large, high-sided skillet or pan over medium heat, then add the diced onion and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring the onion for about 5 minutes, until it starts to soften and change colour (it’ll start to look more see-through, or translucent). At this point, add your sliced mushrooms and crushed garlic. Stir them through the onion, then let them sit in the pan to get a little brown for 2 minutes. You’ll see lots of moisture escaping from the mushrooms and they’ll reduce in volume considerably over this time.
Add the orzo. Pour in the wine, and use it to scrape off any little bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let the wine bubble up for a minute, so the alcohol burns off. At this point, add your orzo and stir it through the mushrooms. Pour in all your stock, the miso paste (if you’re using it) and stir again. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until the orzo is al dente (cooked, with a little bite to it) and the majority of the stock is absorbed. Make sure you do stir occasionally as orzo loves to stick to the bottom of the pan! If it does, it’s not a big deal so don’t worry, you should be able to scrape it off the bottom and continue with the recipe.
Garnish and serve. Once your orzo is al dente, scatter over 3/4 of the grated parmesan and half the basil leaves. Stir them through the orzo as the parmesan melts in and make it even more creamy. Finally, stir in the spinach leaves and the lemon zest (the spinach will wilt into the orzo from the heat) Divide between plates, topping with the remaining parmesan and basil leaves, then serve while hot and creamy.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: I’m using vegetable stock to keep this vegetarian, but you can use chicken stock too. Orzo is also called risoni in some countries (predominantly New Zealand and Australia) but it’s the same thing as orzo. I highly recommend using the miso paste if you can find it – the deep savouriness is great here and really adds to the dish. Try to use freshly grated parmesan cheese from a block, rather than pre-grated. The pre-grated stuff has an anti-caking coating which means it won’t melt into the pasta well.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Swap spinach for kale, chard or cavalo nero and use any mushrooms you like – porcini, portobello, oyster or shiitake would be great. You can also play around and add things to the recipe – think broccoli, olives, sundried tomatoes, red pepper or protein like shrimp/prawns or chicken.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The orzo will keep well for 5 days in the fridge, stored in a covered container. You can either reheat it in the microwave at 30-second intervals or gently on the stovetop over low heat. Like all pasta, the orzo will continue to absorb liquid as it sits, so you’ll need to add a couple of tablespoons of water or stock as your reheat it, just to loosen that sauce up again.

Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 15
Category: pasta
Method: stove top
Cuisine: italian

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 bowl

Keywords: orzo risotto, mushroom pasta, mushroom risotto