One Pot Orzo Primavera is full of green vegetables and a beautiful sauce with a kiss of cream and a hint of garlic and lemon! All cooked in the one pan!
This One Pot pasta has it ALL! Asparagus, broccoli, peas, grape tomatoes, garlic, lemon, pasta, and parmesan cheese. A One Pot Orzo Primavera recipe PERFECT for any occasion….but especially for my readers loving Spring!
With one pot pastas being popular at the moment, this is one recipe very close to what my mother makes already. We just added in more Spring veggies to maintain a Primavera feeling, and about 20 minutes later, this one pot pasta was born!
What we love the most about orzo pasta (or RISONI for my Aussie readers) is that it is ALMOST like a risotto — very similar in texture, and is so versatile it can be included with any dish, as a side OR as a main. In this one pot recipe however, it is so similar to a risotto in consistency, it could be called a cheat’s risotto. Not gluggy or sticking to the roof of your mouth uncomfortable. It’s silky smooth and creamy, while being totally and completely addictive.
The BEST part is the obvious — it’s all cooked in the one pan for minimum stress, WHILE providing an incredible taste since the pasta absorbs the flavour from each ingredient.
Easy One Pot/Pan Recipes:
One Pot Italian Chicken and Rice
One Pan Juicy Herb Roast Turkey
One Pot Ravioli in Creamy Tomato Beef Sauce
One Pan Mediterranean Chicken and Potatoes
One Pot Orzo Primavera
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium brown onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets, discard stem
- 21 ounces asparagus cut into 2-inch pieces, woody ends snapped off
- 8 ounces dry orzo pasta
- 2 ½ cups low sodium vegetable broth (or stock)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup half and half option to use reduced fat cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 pinch salt extra to taste if needed
- 1 pinch pepper extra to taste if needed
- 1 cup grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 pinch fresh parsley to serve
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Fry the onion for 2-3 minutes until transparent. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant; add the orzo and fry to brown slightly (about 2 minutes) in the oil.
- Next, add in the broccoli florets and asparagus pieces, stirring occasionally for a further 2 minutes to absorb all the flavours in the pot.
- Pour in the broth along with ¾ teaspoon of salt. Give it a good stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat down to low and allow to cook for 5-6 minutes, until most of the liquid has absorbed, while stirring occasionally.
- Uncover the pot and add in the peas and parmesan cheese. Stir gently to combine with the rest of the ingredients, and continue to cook on low heat for about 2-3 minutes until the peas have cooked through, the cheese has melted, and the pasta is cooked to your liking, while stirring occasionally.
- Take off the heat. Stir the half and half through to combine well and squeeze in the lemon juice. Mix through; taste test and add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Garnish with the fresh chopped parsley; top with the grape tomatoes and serve immediately.
Kelly Sextro says
Amazing taste, didn’t have broccoli or tomatoes but used some tomato paste and it was so delicious!
Mary says
Great recipe overall. I found the asparagus and broccoli got cooked too much so I will not add them in until later when I make this next time. I added some orange peppers with the onions too. Delicious!