Ingredient Notes

The entire ingredient record is beneath, however right here you’ll discover essential notes on just a few key gamers.

• Pink bell pepper: Orange or yellow peppers have an analogous candy taste and might be substituted. Inexperienced bell peppers are a bit tangier and never as candy however might be used for those who like them higher.
• Zucchini: Yellow squash additionally works. There’s no must peel tender-skinned summer season squash.
• Oregano: Dried oregano provides the dish its signature Greek taste. Whereas testing this recipe, we actually loved the dish with a beneficiant full tablespoon of oregano, however you possibly can modify the quantity for those who’re not as a lot of an oregano fan.
• Fireplace-roasted diced tomatoes: These canned tomatoes add a touch of smoky taste, however common diced tomatoes additionally work simply nice.
• Chickpeas: Garbanzo beans are the identical factor as chickpeas. You possibly can swap in white beans for those who’d like. Drain the beans, rinse them properly, and drain once more.
• Broth: Use low-sodium broth; because the orzo cooks, the broth concentrates, so beginning with a closely salted broth will lead to a very salty completed dish.
• Orzo: Don’t substitute one other pasta selection! Orzo cooks extra rapidly than bigger pasta shapes.
• Shrimp: In case your shrimp is frozen, you’ll must thaw it first. You are able to do this forward of time within the fridge or place the shrimp in a bowl of cool (not heat! not ice chilly!) water and swish them round till they thaw.

The way to Make Greek Baked Orzo

Put together. Begin preheating your oven to 400ºF and heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet set over medium warmth. You’ll be including all the pieces to the skillet, so a big one is a should! A small dutch oven additionally works.

Cook dinner the greens. Stir the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini into the oil within the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and sauté till they only begin to soften, stirring often. Add the garlic and oregano, and cook dinner, stirring consistently, for a couple of minute, or till the garlic is aromatic.

Deliver to a simmer. Add the diced tomatoes, chickpeas, and broth, adopted by the orzo. Stir to combine all the pieces collectively and convey to a simmer, persevering with to stir from time to time to maintain the orzo from sticking to the pan.

Bake. Switch the skillet to the oven and bake uncovered for quarter-hour. Take away the pan from the oven. Watch out, the deal with is sizzling!

Bake once more. Stir the artichoke hearts and spinach into the orzo, then add the shrimp on prime. Season the shrimp with black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, then sprinkle the feta on prime. Bake for quarter-hour extra, or till the shrimp are curled right into a C-shape and their coloration turns opaque. The time will rely a bit of bit on the dimensions of the shrimp that you simply use.

Serve. Let the baked Greek orzo relaxation for five minutes to chill and thicken up a bit, then serve with contemporary dill or parsley.

Recipe Variations

• Make it vegetarian. Omit the shrimp and make the remainder of the recipe as written.
• Add completely different veggies. Strive sliced mushrooms or eggplant, or use roasted crimson pepper as a substitute of contemporary crimson bell pepper.
• Make it spicy. Add a pinch of crimson pepper flakes or a bit of little bit of harissa for warmth.
• Add olives or capers. Kalamata olives add additional briny taste. (Full disclosure: I’m not a fan of olives, however they are a key ingredient in a number of Greek recipes!) Capers will add little pops of briny-brightness.

Serving Concepts

This dish is an entire meal by itself, however if you wish to stretch it out a bit of additional, you possibly can serve it with a easy facet dish.

Fridge: Retailer leftover Greek baked orzo in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days. I don’t advocate freezing this recipe, because the shrimp will doubtless be rubbery after cooking, freezing, thawing, and reheating.

Reheat: You possibly can reheat this dish in a 350ºF oven; I like to recommend eradicating the shrimp and heating the orzo till it’s heat, then including the shrimp throughout the previous couple of minutes of cooking time to attempt to stop over-cooking. The microwave additionally works, however once more, the orzo will take longer to warmth by way of than the shrimp, so add the shrimp close to the top of the cooking time.

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. .

• Warmth the oil in a big oven-safe skillet over medium warmth. Add the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini, season with salt and pepper. Cook dinner, stirring often, till the greens start to melt, about 5 minutes

  1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 small onion, finely diced, 1 crimson bell pepper, diced, 1 small (8 ounces) zucchini, diced, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse floor black pepper

• Stir within the garlic and dried oregano, cook dinner for 1 minute.

  3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• Pour within the diced tomatoes, chickpeas, and broth, then stir within the orzo. Deliver the combination to a simmer, scraping the underside to verify the orzo isn’t sticking.

  1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, 2 ½ cups low-sodium rooster broth, 12 ounces raw orzo

• As soon as the orzo combination has come to a simmer, rigorously switch the skillet to the oven and bake uncovered for quarter-hour.

• Take away the pan from the oven, stir, and fold within the artichoke hearts, and spinach. Nestle the shrimp evenly excessive, season with black pepper and squeeze the lemon half over the shrimp. Sprinkle the feta evenly excessive of the shrimp.

  1 can (14 ounces) quartered artichoke hearts, 2 cups loosely packed child spinach, 16 ounces peeled uncooked shrimp, dimension 20/30, ¼ teaspoon coarse floor black pepper, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese

• Return the skillet to the oven and bake, uncovered, about quarter-hour, or till the shrimp are curled and opaque.

• Let the dish relaxation 5 minutes earlier than serving. Garnish with contemporary dill or contemporary parsley.

• Shrimp: For those who use smaller or bigger shrimp, the baking time should be adjusted accordingly. For those who use shrimp that’s already cooked, the second baking time might be decreased; bake simply till the shrimp is heated by way of and the cheese has melted.
• Vegetarian: The recipe can simply be made with out shrimp for those who favor. The chickpeas, feta cheese, and greens make it a really satisfying fundamental dish.

Serving: 1.75cups, Energy: 495kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 30g, Fats: 12g, Saturated Fats: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g, Monounsaturated Fats: 4g, Trans Fats: 0.01g, Ldl cholesterol: 120mg, Sodium: 1544mg, Potassium: 637mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 2540IU, Vitamin C: 47mg, Calcium: 281mg, Iron: 4mg

Diet info is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.

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