Orzo Parmesan Melody

My hubby has a great time joking around every time I make orzo.  He picks on me by saying, "oh this RICE you made tonight is wonderful."  "I've never had RICE that has so much flavor," etc, etc.  Yes, he is a comedian!  

I love orzo.  To me it has this buttery quality to it, even when you don't add anything to it.  Usually I make it as a side dish to a protein that we are having, but this time I made it as the main course.  Orzo is great because you can add almost anything to it and have a tasty, satisfying meal.

Orzo Parmesan Melody

Ingredients
4 servings orzo
1 can chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms, diced

1 tablespoon butter

1 large handful of fresh spinach, roughly chopped

1 vine ripe tomato, diced

1 avocado, diced

3-4 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook orzo in chicken broth and water mixture, according to package directions.

2. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic, sauté until softened, about 4-5 minutes.  Add butter and mushrooms and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.  Add spinach, sauté until wilted slightly.  Turn off heat and add tomatoes.

3. Drain orzo, return to pot.  Add cheese, ingredients in sauté pan and diced avocado to orzo, mix well.

I add the chicken broth to my pot of water to infuse more flavor into the orzo.  The butter I added just to give the dish a little richness, if you are trying to cut calories or fat you can leave it out completely.

This was even better the next day for lunch.  My 8 month old loved it, he had it for dinner and lunch the next day with me.