Parmesan Orzo, creamy
Parmesan Orzo – An straightforward parmesan orzo recipe that is creamy, full of butter, herbs, garlic, and parmesan. It’s straightforward to cook in under 15 minutes.
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Why we love This Parmesan Orzo Recipe
- It’s a vegetarian orzo recipe (if you swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth) so it is straightforward to tailor to a meatless meal.
- It’s super flavorful with fresh herbs and garlic.
- It pairs well with fish, chicken, and shrimp.
- It’s a straightforward orzo recipe! It is ready in less than 15 minutes.
Parmesan Orzo Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Garlic
- Orzo
- Kosher salt & ground black pepper
- Chicken broth (vegetable broth if making it vegetarian)
- Milk (we use 2%)
- Fresh oregano, basil, and thyme
- Grated parmesan
How to cook Orzo Parmesan
Detailed instructions and measurements for Parmesan Orzo are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Add your butter to a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter.
- Once butter is melted, add the garlic, orzo, salt, and pepper. Toast the orzo, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in your broth. Stir to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn down the heat and allow it to simmer. Stir occasionally while the orzo simmers. Let it simmer until almost all the liquid has absorbed.
- Pour in the milk. Stir to combine.
- Add the fresh oregano, fresh basil, and fresh thyme. Stir to combine.
- Add in the grated parmesan cheese. Mix to combine until all the parmesan has melted. Serve with extra herbs and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
Orzo Parmesan Recipe Tips
Be sure not to burn your garlic and orzo during the toasting process. It’s important to stir frequently to prevent burning.
The fresh herbs add memorable flavor to this dish. If you don’t have access to fresh herbs, dried works well too. You may need to adjust quantities.
Possible Variations
How to lower calories or WW points
- You can use a lower calorie/lower point butter substitute to toast the orzo with the garlic.
- Whole wheat orzo is slightly lower in calories than regular orzo.
- Use a nonfat or plant based alternative milk.
- Reduced fat parmesan could be used in place of full fat parmesan.
Serving Suggestions
Orzo pairs well with:
- Shrimp Scampi
- Grilled or Baked Chicken
- Salmon
- Grilled Flank Steak
Storing Creamy Parmesan Orzo
Leftover orzo can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. To reheat, microwave for 1 minute at a time adding broth as needed to keep it from drying out.
Garlic Parmesan Orzo FAQs
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Prep 5 minutesCook 10 minutesTotal 15 minutesMakes 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup orzo
- Kosher salt & ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups chicken broth vegetable broth if making vegetarian
- 2 tablespoons milk I use 2%
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
Method
- Add your butter to a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter.
- Once butter is melted, add the garlic, orzo, salt and pepper. Toast the orzo, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in your chicken broth. Stir to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn down the heat and allow it to simmer. Stir occasionally while the orzo simmers. Let it simmer until almost all the liquid has absorbed.
- Pour in the milk. Stir to combine.
- Add the fresh oregano, fresh basil, and fresh thyme. Stir to combine.
- Add in the grated parmesan cheese. Mix to combine until all the parmesan has melted. Serve with extra herbs and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
Notes
- Be sure not to burn your garlic and orzo during the toasting process. It’s important to stir frequently to prevent burning. The fresh herbs add memorable flavor to this dish. If you don’t have access to fresh herbs, dried works well too. <h3 class="wprm-recipe-header
