Lunch / Dinner
Creamy Orzo with Marinated Tomatoes
There are two words for this dish — simple and satisfying. It’s too bad all weeknight dinners can’t be this way. Everyone loves a rich, creamy pasta dish, but with the rich flavor comes a lot of time invested. Not a problem. Much of this dish’s richness can be attributed to the natural starches found in the orzo pasta.
You could eat the pasta by itself, but the marinated tomato topping shouldn’t be missed. Cool tomatoes against warm, creamy pasta is perfection in a bowl! Grape tomatoes look like cherry tomatoes, only smaller. And they taste even better — they’re sweet with a “real tomato” flavor. You can substitute cherry tomatoes, but your efforts to find the grape ones will be well worth it.
This is a delicious dish on its own, but it’s also great as a side dish. Try serving sautéed shrimp on top, or pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
Ingredients
FOR THE TOMATOES, WHISK:
FOR THE ORZO, COOK:
Instructions
For the tomatoes, whisk together vinegar, oil, shallots, and Dijon; toss with grape tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add basil right before serving.
For the orzo, cook orzo in a pot of boiling salted water according to package directions; drain.
Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Whisk in cream and milk and cook until thickened, 2–3 minutes. Add cooked orzo and heat through, 1 minute. Season orzo with salt and serve with tomatoes.
Pour vinegar mixture over tomatoes and allow the flavors to meld. Wait to add basil so it doesn’t turn black.
Whisk cream and milk into the melted butter to blend; simmer 2–3 minutes to fully thicken.
Stir the cooked orzo into the sauce and cook briefly. The starch in the pasta will help thicken the sauce.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 400
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 29%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Sodium 39mg 1%
Carbs 48g 16%
Fiber 3g 12%
Protein 10g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.