You'll need a side dish to accompany Greek Chicken Meatballs for dinner. Immediately, orzo comes to mind.
Orzo is a staple in our house, a favourite crave-able dish when we want something creamy and satisfying. The tiny rice-shaped nibs of pasta are incredibly versatile and can be cooked up much like a creamy risotto.
Some of my favourite renditions of orzo are studded with mushrooms or peas, cooked with chicken stock, and finished with nobs of butter and freshly grated parmesan that work together to make the dish sinfully creamy. I’ll often serve orzo as a complete meal - it’s that delicious.
I created this recipe for Orzo with Sundried Tomatoes and Parmesan to accompany our Greek Meatball dinner.
Toasting adds an essential depth of flavour
The secret to this dish is to toast the orzo. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a hot skillet and toss the dry pasta to coat. Over medium heat, stir the orzo until the pasta takes on a deep toasted colour and smells nutty and delicious. Be careful not to burn the pasta. As it begins to brown, keep your attention on the pan. It doesn’t take long to toast and can burn in a flash if left unattended.
Sundried tomatoes pack a punch
Sundried tomatoes are like ordinary tomatoes, except their flavour is intense and amplified by the concentration of drying. You can purchase sundried tomatoes in dry form in the produce section of the supermarket. Usually, you slice or dice these and soak them in some liquid to rehydrate them. You can finely dice dried tomatoes to add to dips, dressings and vinaigrettes. A little goes a long way.
You can also buy sundried tomatoes packed in oil. Whole or minced. For this recipe, I like the minced sundried tomatoes in oil. They are quick and intensely flavourful, and the texture matches this quick-cooking dish.
Cooking the pasta in stock adds flavour and creaminess
Why use water when you can use stock? Water doesn’t taste like much. Stock imparts an extra layer of flavour. You can use any stock you like - beef, mushroom, vegetable. For this recipe, I used chicken stock to match the main dish of chicken meatballs.
It's different than boiling pasta in water and then draining it. Cooking the orzo in just enough liquid to make it tender creates some magic. The stock takes up the starch released from the pasta and thickens into a flavourful sauce as the dish cooks.
Finish with butter and parmesan
Adding a good nob of butter and a generous shaving of parmesan cheese at the end of cooking amplifies the dish's creamy texture. Remove the cooked orzo from the heat and stir in the butter and cheese. The residual heat will melt things and emulsify the sauce even further.
Don’t skip the acid
This side dish is rich with creaminess and hearty with butter and cheese. It needs a pop of brightness to finish it well and make the flavours come alive. This is a good learning moment if you are new to cooking and wonder how acid makes a difference in a dish.
Taste the finished orzo just before adding the lemon, and taste it again immediately after. - Notice the difference? That’s the magic of acidity. It lightens and makes other flavours pop. If a dish is ever cloying or flat, a pinch of salt or a splash of acidity is usually all that is required to bring it to life.
Other ways to enjoy orzo
Make this recipe for Sundried Tomato and Parmesan Orzo, but also look for other ways to utilize orzo in your everyday cooking.
Boil orzo like any other pasta following the package directions:
Add it to soups
Make a pasta salad by adding fresh diced tomatoes, cucumber and red onions, crumbled feta, Mediterranean vinaigrette, and oregano.
Dress plain orzo simply with some butter, salt and pepper. My mom used to make this with elbow macaroni when I was a kid and called it buttered noodles. It was my favourite dish - hands down.
Add a quick drizzle of olive oil, some fresh chopped herbs, salt and pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon for a quick and easy side that pairs with just about everything.
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