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Answers: I bought some from my local farmers market because it looked good, but I have never made it before! The man selling it said it works sort of like pasta - so I can put marinara on it - but does anyone know any good recipes to serve with it or on it or in it?

I have some fresh onion, mushroom, bell pepper, green onion, and tomatoes - would this go with it? Like in it?

Help!

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Orzo is a pasta, and as you can see, it looks a lot like rice. That's how I use it - in any recipe that calls for rice. It actually cooks up faster than rice - all but minute rice, that is - and goes well with things like black beans or red beans (New Orleans style).
The veggies you mentioned will all go nicely with orzo - just dice them up fine. I have seen a chef toss all those ingredients in the same pot as he cooked his orzo in, but I do that and it does not turn out right - so I cook the veggies separate from the orzo, and when the orzo's done, I drain the liquid off the veggies and stir 'em into the orzo while hot and serve that dish before it has a chance to get cold.
You might try adding a dash of ground cayenne just before serving.

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Easy to cook . dose not take long, I make it when I do a pasta salad. Only time I have used it.

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You just boil it for 9-10 minutes and drain like normal pasta. It's good with a lemon vinaigrette (and some of your veggies) to make a Greek salad, I've put it in soups instead of rice, and it's even good with just butter, garlic, and cheese.

Thanks for reminding me I'm out and need to buy some more! :)

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I'm still working on ways to use a box I got myself, but I know you can also use orzo like rice (in soups, cooked and seasoned as a side like rice pilaf...).

One recipe I really liked is for orzo risotto (see below). I used a softer cheese for it than parmesan, but it turned out well (really creamy), and you could put just about anything you like in it.

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Orzo is pasta. Generally I cook mine in chicken stock and salt for about 5 minutes in boiling water. Then add a little bit of lemon juice or some type of acid like vinegar and a few tbsp. of olive oil. Maybe 2 tbsp. Then add all your fresh veggies to the warm orzo, make sure your orzo is just warm, not hot. Then add your veggies that have been diced finely. It's a piece of cake, light and flavorful. You can serve this warm or room temperature. Make sure you season with salt and pepper. If you have it some fresh basil or parsley will really brighten up the dish.

Another thing you can do is dice all your veggies up and sautee them in olive oil with a little salt and pepper. If you have garlic add that as well. Let them just get soft. Then add your orzo and let it toast slightly. Then begin to add some stock. Let this simmer out and add more stock until the orzo is nearly cooked with a little extra liquid in it. Then cover and let steam for about 5 minutes. A knock off of rice a roni that's really good and a lot healthier. Again right before you but the lid on to steam taste for seasoning you might need to add salt and pepper.

Another thing than I can make that has a good response from my family would be to take the first recipe and add about 1/2 c. of parm cheese. Let this cool in the fridge. Then make patties and sautee in a pan until the outsides are crispy. Then top with a little marinara and a slice of mozz cheese and bake until lightly brown and bubbly.

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BROCCOLI AND ORZO

1 c. orzo
8 oz. Velveeta cheese, grated
1 med. onion, chopped fine
1 pkg. frozen chopped broccoli (defrosted & drained)
1 stick butter

Cook orzo in 2 quarts of water and drain. Saute onions and broccoli in butter until soft. Combine onions, broccoli, orzo and Velveeta. Mix until smooth and blended.

Pour into a 2 quart baking pan (I prefer a Corning ware or Pyrex pan.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat until warm.

BAKED ORZO WITH PEPPERS AND CHEESE

2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. diced roasted red peppers
1/3 c. diced green chilies
1 c. sour cream
2 tbsp. butter, cut into sm. bits
1 c. orzo
1 c. diced Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Add 2 teaspoons salt into boiling water, add orzo; boil 10 to 12 minutes until tender; drain. Put orzo into lightly buttered dish with peppers, chilies and Monterey Jack. Spread sour cream evenly over top, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, dot with butter. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, top shelf of oven until golden puffy. Cool slightly.

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