Many people wonder if orzo is rice or pasta. It’s a tiny pasta that’s rice-shaped and made of durum wheat. Learning how to cook orzo is easy, and it is ready in minutes. Enjoy it in pasta salads, vegan parmesan orzo, or as a simple side dish. Like most pasta, it’s versatile!
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Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthy choice: If you want pasta but want to keep it healthy, orzo is a great option. This whole-grain pasta contains 1 gram of fat, 41 grams of carbohydrates, and 7 grams of protein per serving.
- Delicious: There are so many orzo recipes out there, and knowing how to cook orzo will ensure you nail them every time to enjoy those spectacular flavors.
- Light & refreshing: I make the most delicious orzo salad with roasted grape tomatoes, onions, zucchini, olives, and fresh basil. It is light, filling, and refreshing!
What Is Orzo?
Orzo is a small pasta that is thin and oval. In fact, most people call it rice-shaped pasta. However, in Italy, it’s a pastina, or little pasta, which is cute. In Italian cuisine, it is used in soups, but it can be used for grain bowls and in other situations where you’d like a tiny little pasta to prevail.
Types Of Orzo
There aren’t too many types of orzo out there, though you will find gluten-free orzo, which is ideal if you have celiac or gluten sensitivity. Dried orzo varieties in rainbow colors can add a beautiful look to your meals. You’ll also find some made of durum wheat or wheat semolina flour, which is the same type of flour most other pasta is made from.
Nutrition For Mental Health
This orzo is made from durum wheat semolina. Semolina is rich in thiamine, folate, and riboflavin. It is also a good source of iron. Low thiamine levels have been shown to be directly associated with increased depressive symptoms.
Ingredients + Notes
You’ll only need a few basic ingredients to know how to cook orzo with ease. Once you do it, you will become familiar with how to use this rice-shaped pasta and will start using it in everything!
A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations
With a three-ingredient recipe, there’s not really much to change. However, there are a couple of things you could do.
- Orzo: You could use gluten-free orzo pasta instead of wheat-based pasta.
- Liquid: If you want your noodles to have a bit more flavor, you can boil them in vegetable broth instead of water. However, this may not be the best option if you plan to use them in a specific recipe.
How To Cook Orzo
In just minutes, you’ll have your orzo ready to serve. With only three steps, you’ll find this to be one of the easiest things you can make in your kitchen. I will say one of my favorite ways to cook orzo is on the stovetop because it’s quick and easy to do.
- Pour water and salt into a smaller Dutch oven or a saucepan and bring to a boil. (This takes 4-7 minutes, depending on the heat source and elevation.)
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- Add one cup of orzo to the pot of salted water and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Al dente: ~ 6-7 minutes of cooking time
- Tender orzo: ~ 7-8 minutes of cooking time.
- Strain the water and use it as desired. (If you plan on baking the orzo or using it in a cold salad, rinse it thoroughly with cold water after straining it.)
Serving Ideas
Not sure how to serve your orzo? While it is delicious with a little vegan butter, there are more things you can add to make it a gourmet experience.
- Fresh herbs: Add some fresh basil, rosemary, thyme, or sage. These fresh and aromatic herbs will add a new dimension to your orzo pasta dishes.
- Spices: Throw in some minced garlic or pull out things from your spice rack. A shake of red pepper flakes or ground black pepper can really liven up this dish.
- Lemon zest: Orzo goes so beautifully with lemon flavors, so add a little lemon zest to it for that acidity to balance out your meal.
- Lemon juice: And while you’re zesting that lemon, go for it with the lemon juice. A squeeze of lemon is the perfect addition.
- Vegan parmesan cheese: Many orzo recipes call for parmesan cheese, though you can use vegan parmesan cheese to get the same deliciously cheesy and savory results.
- Cherry tomatoes: Add more color and nutrition with halved cherry tomatoes. If you combine all of these suggestions, you will have an incredible vegan meal with orzo!
- Oil: Drizzling extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil over this simple orzo recipe is great when using it for a pasta salad or other easy side dish.
- Vegan Meatballs: This Vegan Meatball Recipe is the perfect pairing for this simple orzo recipe. They’re packed with flavor, plant-based protein, and omega-3 fatty acids.
- Tomato Bruschetta: Pair this easy orzo recipe with this mouth-watering Easy Bruschetta Recipe.
Storage Tips
Orzo stores really well, so if you have leftover orzo pasta, don’t fret. There are some helpful tips below, though!
- Refrigerate: Orzo needs to cool down first before storing it. Keep it in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 3 to 5 days.
- Freeze: If you somehow made more orzo than you bargained for, it freezes just fine. You can use it for meal prep. The best way to freeze orzo is in a zippered freezer bag like a Stasher. You can keep this orzo pasta recipe in the freezer for 3 months.
- Reheating: Use the stovetop to gently warm it up and back to life. You’ll want to add a little liquid at a time to get it to the right texture again. Some vegetable broth or water would work great here.
FAQ
The orzo-to-water ratio is one cup of orzo to 4 cups of water. Keep this in mind for when you want to make bigger batches.
Set a timer for 6 minutes after you put it into the boiling water. Then, check your orzo by sampling a grain. If you like the texture, great! But if not, keep watch for an additional minute and check again. Repeat until you like the texture, but no longer than 8 minutes, or you’ll wind up with mush.
It depends on the rice. If it’s brown rice, brown rice is slightly healthier than orzo. But still, orzo is a healthy choice you can make for your meals.
Orzo IS pasta. But since it is often made with whole grain flour, it is considered one of the healthiest pasta choices.
Yes, you can cook orzo in a rice cooker. However, I don’t recommend it. It’s easy to overcook it this way. Easy methods that I recommend for this oval-shaped pasta are on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot.
If you tried this Basic Orzo Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
How To Cook Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 cup orzo
- 4 cups of water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Pour water and salt into a smaller Dutch oven or a sauté pan and bring to a boil. (This takes 4-7 minutes, depending on the source of heat and elevation.)
- Add one cup of orzo to the pot of salted water and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently.– Al dente: ~ 6-7 minutes of cook time– Tender orzo: ~ 7-8 minutes of cooking time.
- Strain the water and use it as desired. (If you plan on baking the orzo or using it in a cold salad, rinse it thoroughly with cold water after straining it.)
Instant Pot Instructions
- Add water, uncooked orzo, and salt to an Instant Pot.
- Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes.
- Quick-release pressure, strain, and use in your favorite orzo recipe!
Video
Notes
- Refrigerate: Orzo needs to cool down first before storing it. Keep it in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 3 to 5 days.
- Freeze: If you somehow made more orzo than you bargained for, it freezes just fine. You can use it for meal prep. The best way to freeze orzo is in a zippered freezer bag like a Stasher. You can keep this orzo pasta recipe in the freezer for 3 months.
- Reheating: Use the stovetop to gently warm it up and back to life. You’ll want to add a little liquid at a time to get it to the right texture again. Some vegetable broth or water would work great here.
Nutrition
Reference
Zhang, G., Ding, H., Chen, H., Ye, X., Li, H., Lin, X., & Ke, Z. (2013). Thiamine nutritional status and depressive symptoms are inversely associated among older Chinese adults. The Journal of nutrition, 143(1), 53–58. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.112.167007
I love this recipe! So many people haven’t ever tried orzo. Great resource!
Thanks!
This is such a great simple cooking tip!
Thanks Alex!