Carrot & Pepper Orzo

This colorful Carrot Orzo recipe creates an incredibly easy to make one-pot vegetarian side dish. It’s a combination of sweet carrots and bell pepper with tender orzo. The versatility of this dish is a perfect choice for young and old.

Orzo dishes are often mixed up with risotto dishes and that’s no surprise as the orzo pasta looks like a big rice grain. Orzo is one of the tiny pastas shapes (pastinas), like the acini di pepe. Another name for orzo that is often used is risoni.

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.

• Orzo
• Carrots
• Onion
• Orange bell pepper – any color will do, but I used an orange one to keep the same color as the carrots.
• Stock – chicken or vegetable
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• Parsley

How to Make Carrot & Pepper Orzo

• Step 1 – Prepare the vegetables by shredding the carrots in a food processor until finely chopped. Clean the bell pepper and onion and chop both as well, by hand or in the food processor.
• Step 2 – Melt butter in a large skillet and add onion, bell pepper and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes, or until slightly tender.
• Step 3 – Add the orzo, the stock (if you use vegetable stock, the dish will be vegan) and some salt and cook until the orzo is al dente and/or the liquid is absorbed. This will take about 10-15 minutes, depending on the brand of orzo you use.
• Step 4 – Add the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese as well as most of the finely chopped parsley. Omit cheese to make the dish vegan.
• Step 5 – Season with salt & pepper if needed. Serve immediately on pre-warmed plates or bowls and garnish with some parsley. Pasta cools quickly, so warm you dishes beforehand.

Other Pasta Side Dishes to Try

• Couscous with Zucchini & Herbs
• Creamy Orzo with Grated Tomatoes
• Orzo with Zucchini
• Pearl Couscous with Beets