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Orzo with Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers

June 25, 2014 by Danae 16 Comments

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Do you ever find yourself staring at some grilled chicken or pork chops wondering what the heck you are going to serve with them? When it comes to side dishes I tend to fall short on ideas, but I’m working on it, starting with this Orzo with Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers.

Orzo with Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers | Recipe Runner | This easy to make side dish is delicious, healthy, comfort food at it's best!I think the reason I lack motivation to make side dishes is that I feel like I have to create a whole separate meal and frankly most nights I don’t feel like spending hours in the kitchen creating a four course meal. I’d much rather just toss a salad together and call it good, however my husband has different opinions on the matter. Salad is not man food according to him and neither is soup. He wants something more filling…carbs, carbs, and more carbs!!! If it were up to him pasta would be served with every meal, especially the creamy, cheesy kind. As much as I’d love to do that my waistline and his wouldn’t be appreciative. So, to fix this problem of not wanting to spend much time making a side dish and to give my husband something to look forward to with his chicken other than the same old salad I’ve come up with this Orzo with Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers.

Orzo with Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers | Recipe Runner | This easy to make side dish is delicious, healthy, comfort food at it's best!This simple dish is not only easy to make, but flavorful and healthy as well. It only took me 15 minutes to make it, it has whole wheat orzo and healthy spinach in it, and to my husband’s delight a little parmesan cheese! This is definitely a side dish I can get behind!

Orzo with Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers | Recipe Runner | This easy to make side dish is delicious, healthy, comfort food at it's best!Once the orzo had cooked the rest of the dish was easy peasy to make. In a small saucepan I heated a couple teaspoons of olive oil, then added the diced roasted red peppers and a clove of minced garlic. I let them cook for about two minutes and then tossed the orzo, chopped spinach and basil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar in. I let everything heat through for another minute, then off the heat I stirred in a few tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese. The Orzo with Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers smelled amazing. The combination of the garlic, basil, balsamic, and cheese was a glorious comforting smell that made my mouth start to water. When your usual salad or over used side dish just doesn’t cut it anymore try making this quick and delicious Orzo with Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers!

Orzo with Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers | Recipe Runner | This easy to make side dish is delicious, healthy, comfort food at it's best!

Yields 4 servings

Orzo with Spinach and Roasted Red Peppers

A light and delicious side dish that comes together in 15 minutes!

5 minPrep Time

10 minCook Time

15 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole wheat orzo, uncooked
  • 2 t. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup roasted red peppers, diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup baby spinach, chopped
  • 1 T. fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/2-3/4 t. kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 T. balsamic vinegar
  • 3 T. parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook orzo according to package directions omitting any oil.
  2. When the orzo is cooked, drain and set aside.
  3. In a small saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat.
  4. Add in the roasted red peppers and garlic.
  5. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Add the orzo, spinach, basil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar into the saucepan and heat through.
  7. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese.
  8. Serve immediately.
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Filed Under: Pasta, Side Dishes Tagged With: balsamic vinegar, Basil, orzo, parmesan cheese, roasted red peppers, side dish, spinach

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Next Post: Barley Salad with Chickpeas and Cherries »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Matt Robinson

    June 25, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    This is the perfect side dish Danae, love everything about it.
    Reply
    • Danae

      June 26, 2014 at 6:54 pm

      Thanks Matt!
      Reply
  2. Serene @ House of Yumm

    June 26, 2014 at 12:29 am

    Danae this looks wonderful! And something my husband would love also! I usually just cook up some veggie for our side dish and call it good! This will look like I put a lot more effort into it though! Pinning!
    Reply
    • Danae

      June 26, 2014 at 6:49 pm

      Thanks Serene! I'm always making a salad or cooking veggies, this was a nice change!
      Reply
  3. Jess @ whatjessicabakednext

    June 26, 2014 at 10:39 am

    This looks amazing! Would definitely make a perfect addition to a picnic! :)
    Reply
    • Danae

      June 26, 2014 at 5:59 pm

      Thanks Jess, it would be great picnic food!
      Reply
  4. miss messy

    June 26, 2014 at 11:42 am

    I love Orzo and this seems like a great way to cook with it! :)
    Reply
    • Danae

      June 26, 2014 at 5:59 pm

      Thank you, it's one of my new favorites!
      Reply
  5. marcie

    June 26, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    I feel like you've described my dinner dilemmas to a "T"! I could live on grilled meats, soups, and salad alone for the most part, then I have to deal with some type of side. I love orzo pasta, and all the veggies and flavors you have in here sound delicious! Pinning. :)
    Reply
    • Danae

      June 27, 2014 at 5:45 pm

      Thanks Marcie! We are always eating grilled meat and salad around here, so it was nice to surprise my husband with a different side dish.
      Reply
  6. Zainab

    June 29, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    I'm with you, side dishes are just hard to put together during the hectic week. But I love how easy this orzo is. I am tempted to just have it as the main :)
    Reply
    • Danae

      June 30, 2014 at 8:38 pm

      Thanks Zainab! I could totally eat this as a main dish too!
      Reply
  7. Kayley | The Kitchen McCabe

    June 30, 2014 at 9:17 pm

    I love all of these flavors together, this looks like a fantastic side dish!
    Reply
    • Danae

      June 30, 2014 at 10:37 pm

      Thanks Kayley! :-)
      Reply
  8. [email protected]

    July 1, 2014 at 1:07 pm

    How awesome does this orzo look?? I LOVE orzo so much and I'm always on the look-out for new fun ways to use it! It sounds amazing with spinach and roasted red peppers and SO easy for these busy summer weeknights! ;)
    Reply
    • Danae

      July 1, 2014 at 6:22 pm

      Thanks Sarah, it's definitely an easy to make favorite around here!
      Reply

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Hi, I'm Danae! Welcome to Recipe Runner. This blog is all about my love of food, cooking, baking, and running. I hope that I can tempt you with my recipes and inspire you with my running stories! Enjoy! Read More ↝

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