Carrot Orzo

I bought a box of orzo a while back and have been waiting for the perfect recipe to try it in. Turns out this is it! This is a recipe from Southern Living. It's almost like a risotto but easier!


Prep and Cook time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

8 oz. carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces (about 2 cups)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1. Process carrots in a food processor 15 seconds or until finely chopped.
2. Combine 2 1/2 cups of water and chicken broth in a microwave safe measuring cup. Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until very hot.
3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until tender. Add orzo and garlic, and cook 1 minute.
4. Add hot broth mixture, salt, and pepper into orzo mixture. Cook, stirring often, 15 to 18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
5. Stir in Parmesan cheese, chives, and thyme until blended. Serve immediately.

Notes from Kitchen of Reality:
-I cut this recipe in half and felt like it was about 6 servings. I can't imagine how HUGE of a serving you would get if you made the full recipe and made it into 6 servings.
-I used store bought pre-shredded Parmesan cheese.
-I didn't have fresh herbs so I omitted the chives and used a few sprinkles of dried thyme. I would LOVE to try it with both fresh but I didn't have them and didn't want to pay that much money for them either.
-This is an easy way to sneak veggies into picky kids diets because you can't even really taste the carrots, it just has a wonderful flavor.
-The recipe didn't really say what temperature to cook on once you added the broth mixture. I kept mine at a slow simmer (medium to medium high heat) and it worked well. Make sure you stir often because it will stick to the pot especially toward the end as the broth is absorbed.