Three Cheese Orzo and Spinach.
Cheese is one of the best things in the world. It’s true! And do you know what else is really good? Cheesy pasta.
Duh.
We love orzo in this house.
It’s like pasta. But it’s not.
It’s fun to eat.
It’s whole wheat.
It’s little… so you get to eat more of it.
Win!
This orzo makes for a delicious side dish, or even a great base for any other pasta mix. Or it just gives you a big bowl of cheesy pasta to eat with spoon. That’s how I spent my Sunday afternoon.
Not.
I really spent my Sunday afternoon doing this. That wasn’t fun.
But I did manage to sneak in some cooking. We couldn’t starve after all. Well… I could starve. In fact, after making 4 batches of brownies I probably should starve.
But I wouldn’t subject Mr. How Sweet to the same. Or subject myself to hungry angry husband syndrome.
And there is greenery in here. Vegetables!
Who woulda thunk it?
Lots and lots of cheese too. Goat cheese. Parmesan cheese. Cheddar cheese. We’ve got a little somethin’ somethin’ for everyone. It’s simple, but really delicious!
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Three Cheese Orzo and Spinach
serves 4-6 (as a side dish)
1 cup whole wheat orzo pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onions (this was about 1/4 onion for me)
2 cloves garlic
2 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 6-ounce bag of spinach
pinch of nutmeg
Boil water and cook pasta according to directions.
While orzo is cooking, heat a skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. Add chopped onions with a pinch of salt and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and spinach (I leave the stems on my spinach, they don’t bother me), cooking until spinach wilts.
Drain pasta and add to spinach and onions. Stir in cheese, mixing until melted and combined. Add nutmeg and stir. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve as a side dish or as a base for another pasta mix.
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It pains me to say this, but these are probably the only vegetables you’ll see this week. So take a good look.
And we all know that doesn’t really pain me at all.
116 Comments on “Three Cheese Orzo and Spinach.”
Yum I do love orzo! It’s just so much fun to eat.
yay! I needed an orzo recipe because I bought some for one recipe and had nothing else to make with it and now I do!
i love orzo! it really is fun to eat! :) much more fun than normal size pasta!
This looks so good!
Please tell me where you bought that beautiful baking dish??? I made your Better than Crack Brownies. They are exactly that…better than crack. THANK YOU! Question….after following your instructions using the Ghriradelli brownie mix, the brownies were way undercooked. Did you use your own brownie recipe or a mix? Thanks!
I got the dish at Sur La Table!
And regarding the brownies, the time is going to depend on the size of pan and brand of brownie mix you use! It’s really just a guideline – you always want to make sure they are almost done. Sometimes I use my own, sometimes I use a box, it just depends!
Thanks! I guess I’ll just have to make them again. :) Poor me.
I LOVE orzo and cheese!! You totally hit the nail on the head with this one!!
This is exactly the type of dish I’ll be making this week…toiling under three heavy deadlines… Thanks for sharing!
Haha, I love the lines, “It’s fun to eat, It’s whole wheat.” Kinda rhymes!
This would be the perfect thing for me- I am a cheese freak!
That’s whole wheat orzo? I never would’ve guessed from the finished dish pictures. I’ve never had it before and when I think “whole wheat” there’s a distinct color in my mind. I’ve gotta try this.
Yep! Check out the brand that it is in the first picture. 100% whole wheat and delicious!
Yeah, I scrolled back up to see if there were uncooked pictures. You can see it’s a bit darker and has that brown tinge, but it’s definitely not apparent in the cooked ones. I’m going to have to hunt this stuff down somewhere.
Cheese+carbs+bite sized shapes = my happy place. :)
Can you believe I’ve never had it?! I’ve been meaning to for quite some time, but I can’t seem to shake my risotto phase.
This looks delicious and green! I also love the printable recipe feature too.
I love orzo! I love cheese! I love this! :)
I always forget about orzo, but it’s such a yummy little pasta shape.
You know, I’ve never tried orzo. This dish looks like the perfect first thing to try!
I have all the ingredients to make this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This looks great! I love spinach AND orzo..OI!:)
I need to eat more orzo and more spinach. And with the cheese, it sounds like a perfect combination!
I read this recipie in the morning, realized I had the ingredients on hand and made it for dinner. I didn’t use any goat cheese, but it was delicious none the less! I can’t wait to make it again soon!
So glad you liked it!
Oh my this looks good! I’ve only had orzo once, but it looks like I need to try it again soon!
This looks wonderful I am going to make this today for my daughter!
Let me know how you like it!
I was trying to convince my kids the other night that orzo is not rice ;) Looks great!
omg, I have just come across your blog in the past couple of weeks, and your recipe archive is amazing! If you ever publish a cookbook, I’d buy it in a heartbeat.
The few recipes I’ve tried already are great.
Thank you for your posts.
Thank you so much Julianne!
This looks so good, I love orzo :)
Looks SO SO good!!! I would eat this every day if I made it :)
Great job on the blog! Love your writing style, and your recipes and pictures are gorgeous!
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OMG I just made this tonight and it was delicious! Goat cheese and spinach, brilliant!! Even My husband who hates spinach loved this!
Awesome!
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A little late to the party but wanted to say that I made this last night and it was delicious! I made a couple of substitutions based on what I did/didn’t have in my kitchen (pinwheel pasta instead of orzo, asiago instead of goat cheese) but it was fabulous. My 17 month-old daughter and my picky husband both loved it! Thanks!
I added chicken to this dish to make it into a meal and we loved it.
I just made this with baby portabella mushroom….oh my goodness SOOOO GOOOD thank you for this recipe!!! :)
I made this tonight. It was awesome. I had to restrain myself from eating the whole entire thing. We had it with grilled chicken–awesome dinner! I LOVE your blog!! Tomorrow night I’m making the buffalo mac & cheese.
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Made this tonight – absolute cheesy goodness! Part of my resolution to stop pinning things and start making things :) Thanks!
Would this be good served at room temperature? Or is it best served hot?
I think it’s best served hot.
I hate cooking. and cookbooks.
I love reading.
I love when people can make me laugh about cooking, and yet, inspire me to cook.
Your blog has done just that.
Thank you.
I didn’t think it was possible!
I will try your recipes (except the glass shard brownies) because you made me laugh!
Lisa
Just wondering if you’ve ever tried this as a cold picnic salad. I’m going to Ravinia on Friday and this would be a great dish to share if it doesn’t have to be hot.
Just made this tonite. Substituted cottage cheese for the goat cheese. Used spinach plus greens from my garden (beet tops, chard, kale). Will definitely be
making this again!