This Creamy Orzo with Grated Tomatoes is a one-pot-wonder dish that will become part of your weekly rotation. Crispy clean flavor from the fresh tomatoes with a creamy finish from a little bit of creme fraiche and provolone.
This dish is so easy to make, it is so satisfying that you’ll wonder why you never made it before. Well, now is your chance. Grate fresh tomatoes and cook the orzo in that mush, so it will absorb all the tomato flavor available to you. Finish with a little cream and cheese and devour.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Fresh tomatoes
- Orzo
- Shallot
- Garlic – fresh or garlic paste.
- Salt & pepper
- Provolone cheese – alternatively: Mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Creme fraiche – alternatively: cream cheese or Mascarpone.
- Chives – alternatively: basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary or a mix.
How to make Creamy Orzo with Grated Tomatoes
Step 1 – Grate the fresh tomatoes. This may be something you haven’t done before and I can tell you it is a messy exercise, but it is worth it. Grating tomatoes is giving you all the goodness of a tomato; the skin, the seeds, the meat, the liquid, the flavor. Use a box grater and grate your tomatoes on the largest holes. Place the grater in a bowl to catch all of it and keep grating until the only thing left in your hand is that thin, flattened piece around the stem.
Step 2 – Cook, the orzo. First saute shallot and garlic in butter and once tender and fragrant, add the fresh tomato pulp into a pan. Make sure the ratio liquid (tomato pulp) and orzo is approx. 2.5:1. If you don’t have enough pulp, add some chicken or vegetable stock. Cook the liquid and add the orzo, salt and pepper and cook on low heat according to the directions on the package (not every orzo has the same cooking time). Stir occasionally.
Step 3 – Add creaminess by adding creme fraiche and cheese and stir together, allowing the cheese to melt and the pasta to thicken.
Step 4 – Taste and garnish. Taste the pasta and add more seasoning of salt & pepper if needed. Add oregano, thyme, rosemary or Italian seasoning if that’s what you prefer. Transfer the creamy orzo to a bowl, sprinkle with chopped chives and enjoy.
Serve the creamy orzo as a side dish with chicken, turkey, beef or enjoy it as a vegetarian main dish.
I hope you will enjoy this one-pot-pasta.
Creamy Orzo with Grated Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 cup orzo
- 4 tomatoes grated
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 shallot (NOTE 1) finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic (NOTE 2) minced
- salt & pepper
- 1.5 ounces creme fraiche (NOTE 3)
- 2 ounces Provolone cheese finely chopped
- Additional seasoning (optional)
- fresh chives (NOTE 4)
Instructions
- Heat butter in a pot and saute shallot and garlic until tender and fragrant.
- Add grated tomatoes (NOTE 5) and stock (if needed). Bring to a boil, add orzo and salt & pepper and simmer for about 10 minutes or according to the directions on the package.
- Turn heat to low and add creme fraiche can provolone and stir together. Allow cheese to melt and orzo to slightly thicken.
- Taste pasta and season with salt & pepper again. Add seasoning if you prefer a stronger flavor than just tomatoes, like Italian seasoning, dried thyme, oregano, rosemary, crushed red pepper flakes.
- Transfer orzo to plates or bowls and garnish with finely chopped chives.
Notes
- Use any type of onion you like.
- Use garlic paste instead of a fresh garlic. 1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden garlic paste equals 1 fresh clove of garlic.
- Instead of creme fraiche you can use cream or Mascarpone cheese.
- Fresh basil, parsley, oregano or thyme are great alternatives to chives. Each with their own flavor and aroma characteristics.
- Make sure you have a ratio liquid (grated tomatoes) : orzo of about 2.5 : 1. If you don’t have enough grated tomatoes, add some stock. Vegetable to keep it vegetarian or chicken stock if you prefer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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