Pork Vegetable Orzo

Oblong and common in Mediterranean cooking, orzo has a look of rice and the texture of pasta. Orzo, also named risoni, is an extremely versatile pasta shape used in a multitude of recipes and cuisines. Translating to mean ‘barley’ in Italian due to its resemblance to the grains of unprocessed barely, it is categorized as a ‘pastina’ meaning ‘little pasta’.

The most common variety of orzo is made from semolina flour, which in turn is made from durum wheat. Because the wheat base gives it a heartier texture, it is better able to absorb the flavors of the ingredients around it as well as providing the pasta with a firmness needed to ensure it maintains its shape while remaining soft and light in texture.

Like most pasta, orzo is boiled in a pot of water to prepare. From there, it can be used in multiple applications. Traditionally it is used in soups and sometimes as a side dish, both hot and chilled, with herbs, olive oil or butter, and parmesan cheese.

Today, I’m incorporating orzo in a ground pork & vegetable, one-pot meal …. pasta, meat & veggies, what more is needed!

Print Recipe

Pork Vegetable Orzo

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:

Rate this recipe!

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

American

Keyword

pork vegetable orzo

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 250 gm ground pork
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Montreal steak spice
• 1 cup orzo pasta, uncooked
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 45 gm Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 medium zucchini, julienned
• 6 stalks red Swiss chard, sliced I used only the stalks for this meal (save leaves for another dish)

Course Main Dish Cuisine American Keyword pork vegetable orzo Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 250 gm ground pork 1/2 medium onion, chopped 3-4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp Montreal steak spice 1 cup orzo pasta, uncooked 2 cups chicken broth 1 cup milk 45 gm Parmesan cheese, grated 1 medium zucchini, julienned 6 stalks red Swiss chard, sliced I used only the stalks for this meal (save leaves for another dish)

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, crumble fry ground pork until cooked. Steam chard stalks in a microwave dish until almost tender-crisp. Add onions, zucchini & chard to saucepan with pork. Sauté until onion has softened & veggies are tender-crisp.
2. Stir in garlic, Montreal steak spice & orzo, cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in chicken broth & milk. Once it starts to bubble, continue cooking for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring often. Turn heat to a medium low temperature. It should gently bubble vs. boil as you don't want the liquid to reduce too much before the pasta has cooked.
3. Remove from heat, stir in parmesan. Cover & gently cook 3-5 minutes until the mixture has slightly thickened. Remove from heat & serve.