Sometimes I wonder if it’s redundant of me to put the word “easy” in a recipe title on my blog.
I mean, by now, you guys know that I’m all about easy recipes. I just don’t do complicated anymore. Once upon a time, before I had kids, I embraced those 17-ingredient recipes with a difficulty rating of “expert”.
Today, though, like most of you, I have precious few snippets of time in the kitchen — and I am seriously remiss to spend them making something that isn’t going to be a hit.
This recipe for Easy Baked Orzo fits both requirements to a T! I was so glad when my friend Nancy shared it with me (via a friend of hers, via the French’s Fried Onion site… via possibly the Kosher Palette? I don’t have the cookbook – can anyone verify this?)
This is a great recipe to have in your back pocket — especially when you’re short on time on Friday afternoon and realize you need one more side dish… or that your husband invited an extra family to lunch and forgot to tell you. (Not that Frankie does that!) Just keep the three ingredients stocked in your pantry, and you’ll be ready to go.
Easy 3-Ingredient Baked Orzo
Ingredients:
- 1 16-oz box of orzo
- 4 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)
- 1 2.8-oz package French’s French Fried Onions
- choice of oil (technically this is a 4th ingredient, my bad!)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 9×13 casserole dish with parchment paper (or spray with vegetable spray).
- Heat large skill over medium heat. Add a bit of your choice of oil once the pan is heated.
- Add orzo and sautee until golden brown. Watch the orzo carefully – it will go from white to burned very quickly.
- Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil.
- Remove orzo from heat and combine with broth, pouring into the casserole dish. (I usually use the 9×13 disposable foil pans).
- Sprinkle the whole container of French’s French Fried Onions over the top.
- Bake the casserole for approximately 45 minutes, until all the water is absorbed and the orzo is tender to the fork.
Another plus to this recipe is that it reheats beautifully on the plata/blech for Shabbat. I warm it up with the tin foil on top “vented” so that it doesn’t get too soggy.
What’s your “back pocket” Shabbat recipe? Got any super easy side dishes you can share with us in the comments below? I can’t wait to try them!
Yes. I can attest that this is really good!
Do you think that this would work with kasha too?
Sounds like a great crowd pleaser recipe. How important is the browning of the orzo first? Can i just put it in the foil container from the packet?
You can skip the browning, or just brown it in the oven in the dish you’re using to cook it in!