This Carrot, Broccoli and Cheese Orzo is a quick and healthy recipe that’s a great alternative to the usual pasta dishes you may find yourself making. It can also be easier to eat for little ones and the leftovers are great to use in the lunch box.
A dear friend of ours who is an amazing dad to twins (and a really good cook to boot) turned me on to the idea of this recipe. He is always on the hunt for new and interesting recipes to feed his kids who he has encouraged from an early age to be balanced eaters by trying to always expose them to a wide variety of new foods. He told me that he uses a lot of orzo, a rice-shaped pasta, which I’d not made in a long time but subsequently rediscovered my love for.
As much as I love to cook, being in the kitchen for more than 30 minutes (maximum!) isn’t always desirable let alone a possibility, so it’s essential for me to come up with lots of quick and easy recipes that I can count on to satisfy my entire family. The beauty of this dish is that I can just toss the veggies in my food processor and pulse them into tiny pieces (which cuts down on the prep time having to chop everything) and then cook all the ingredients together until the orzo and veggie mixture is soft and has a rich cheesy flavor. It takes no time to get on the table and you have a lot of flexibility in terms of what types of vegetables you use, depending on what’s in season or your families preferences are. You can even try adding mushrooms or sliced almonds for a bit of crunch if you’re so inclined.
My friend’s kids love his version of this dish and I was so happy to see that my kids felt the same way about my take on it.
Carrot, Broccoli and Cheese Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 small shallot
- 1 cup baby carrots
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
- 1 cup white or whole wheat orzo
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Place shallot and garlic in food processor and pulse to chop.
- Add baby carrots and broccoli florets to the food processor and pulse, scraping down the sides half way until finely chopped.
- In a large stock pot, heat 2 tbsp of butter or olive oil and sauté the chopped vegetables, raw orzo and salt for 4 minutes stirring continuously.
- Add the salt, water and broth to the pot and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes uncovered, or until the liquid starts to evaporate and the mixture thickens.
- Add the parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
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This is so delicious! I didn’t use shallots, and I used garlic powder instead of garlic. I didn’t have baby carrots so I just used regular ones. I think it would be even better w/ sharp cheddar cheese but I’m sure it would add extra fat too.
Great recipe. My kids love it and its so easy.
Please put me on your mailing list. I have a picky eater that only wants to eat bananas, rice and peanut butter and strawberry sandwitches
Sadly, not a hit with my family. I had to use an onion instead of shallot (that’s what I had on hand) and I think that made the flavor too strong. I will try again another time with shallot instead of onion.
Yes! Add it with the water and broth. I’ve updated the recipe, thanks!
Do I add the salt while cooking? I don’t see what to do with salt in the recipe
Amazing!!! LOVED IT
I have made this several times and it is always delicious! I always substitute half of a small onion for the shallot (just because I never think to buy shallots). I always use a whole can of chicken broth and enough water to equal 2 1/2 cups of total liquid. The last time I used 1 cup of zucchini instead of carrot and this made the dish the best ever. I did add a few carrots and 1 cup of broccoli, but I think it was the zucchini that put it over the top! Excellent!
[…] saw this recipe on Weelicious and thought it sounded healthy & fast, so I made it. It didn’t disappoint! Ada ate a […]
I have made this several times with great success. have added smoked cheese to it. And used ham broth. Tonight, I failed. I subbed macaroni for the orzo. Not good. Star pasta is a good sub. Not macaroni. Just in case anyone else wants to try it! I
Not bad. Grew on me the more I ate it. Creamy and salty comfort food. I used wheel shaped pasta to make it easier for the little fingers. A whole box and kept stirring and adding water, like making risotto. I would add extra veggies, and some beans next time. I like how the broth thickens up.
This is one of my go-to recipes. I have made it with endless variations too- adding chicken, different veggies, different cheese. It’s hard to go wrong and so easy and fast.
Very disappointed in how this turned out. I am not one to waste food, but after my son didn’t eat it I tried it and it was not good. I then had my husband eat leftovers and threw out the rest 🙁
I made this for my 16 month old kid. It was SO good I would make it again whether she was around or not!
Texas…
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