Creamy sun-dried tomato with orzo and spinach

Name: Creamy sun-dried tomato with orzo and spinach
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1(3-ounce) package dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes (about ¾ tightly-packed cup); 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 small yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 cup); 1 pound dry whole wheat orzo pasta (about 2½ cups); 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 cups nonfat milk; 2 to 3 cups low sodium chicken broth or low sodium vegetable broth, divided; 5 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped (about 5 cups); ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus additional to taste; Zest and juice of 1 medium lemon (about 1 teaspoon zest and ¼ cup juice); ⅔ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (about 2½ ounces), plus additional for serving; ¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, divided

6 steps

Updated at: Fri, 04 Jul 2025 00:43:26 GMT

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Ingredients

4 servings

1 x 3 ouncedry sun-dried tomatoes

package -packed

2 tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil

1 cupyellow onion

small, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 poundwhole wheat orzo pasta

dry

3 clovesgarlic

minced

1 teaspoonkosher salt

¼ teaspoonground black pepper

2 cupsnonfat milk

2 cupslow sodium chicken broth

or low sodium vegetable broth, divided

5 ouncesbaby spinach

coarsely chopped

¼ teaspoonred pepper flakes

plus additional to taste

1lemon

Zest and juice of, medium, about 1 teaspoon zest and 1/4 cup juice

⅔ cupshredded Parmesan cheese

plus additional for serving

¼ cupfresh basil leaves

loosely packed, thinly sliced, divided

Instructions

Step 1

1. Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl and cover with very hot water. Let sit to rehydrate while you prepare the orzo.

Step 2

2. In a large Dutch oven or similar large, heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot but not yet smoking, add the onion and sauté until fragrant and beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the orzo, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Sauté, stirring to combine the ingredients and coat the orzo with the onion and oil. Cook just until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to let the garlic burn.

Step 3

3. Slowly stir in the milk and 2 cups of the broth. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring very frequently with a wooden spoon and scraping the spoon along the bottom of the pot to prevent the orzo from sticking. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a light simmer. Cook until the orzo is al dente, most of the liquid is absorbed, and the orzo is very creamy, 8 to 10 minutes. Lift the lid every few minutes to stir and run the spoon along the bottom to prevent sticking. If the pasta looks dry at any point, add several splashes of broth as needed to loosen it.

Step 4

4. Drain and roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Add them to the pot. Stir in the spinach, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and juice, Parmesan, and half of the basil.

Step 5

Continue to cook and stir until the spinach is just wilted and the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Taste and season with additional salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes as desired.

Step 6

Serve hot, sprinkled with the remaining basil and additional Parmesan.