Thursday, January 28, 2010

Saucy Italian Orzo


A new favorite cooking magazine of mine is Taste of Home's "Simple & Delicious". It's packed full of wonderfully tasty recipes that are perfect for those busy weeknights when I don't have much time to spend in the kitchen but want to put something hearty and nutritious on the table for dinner. (Hence, the title "Simple & Delicious"...duh!!) During my last menu planning session I chose several recipes from the Jan/Feb issue and I can't wait to share them all with you in upcoming posts! This first dinner recipe was so incredibly quick and easy to prepare. I actually over estimated the time it would take to cook that I had time to choose and bake up a loaf of garlic-herb bread (look for in my next post) to serve alongside our meal. WOW! The original recipe called for 1 lb. of hamburger but since I was doubling this recipe to share with Sarah for our meal co-op, I added 1 lb. of Italian sausage to boost the flavors a little. I would highly recommend that you consider doing this if you decide to try this meal for your family, the sausage was a perfect addition and really vamped up the taste of the entire dish. Another huge added plus for me was the addition of spinach at the end of the cooking time! It not only added a beautiful color to the entire dish, but was also a major nutritional and healthy addition. Major points in my book! The little food critics in my home gave this two-thumbs up each as they raved over the "cute little pasta thingies" (orzo). Oh-the phrases of children. I love being their Mom!

From the heart of my kitchen to yours, may your experience be fun and the food always flavorful. Enjoy!

Saucy Italian Orzo

1 1b. ground beef (or 1/2 lb. beef and 1/2 lb. Italian sausage)
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic
1 can (14.5 oz.) beef broth
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 cups fresh baby spinach


In a Dutch oven, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.


Stir in the tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, orzo and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until orzo is tender. Add spinach; cook and stir until spinach is wilted.


Source: Taste of Home's "Simple & Delicious" Jan/Feb 2010

9 comments:

Rachel said...

I love mixing ground beef and Italian sausage--I generally mix the two when I make spaghetti and meat sauce! Believe it or not, I've never used orzo! I bet Jake would get a kick out of the "cute little pasta thingies", too! :)

I've heard a lot of good things about The Taste of Home Simple and Delicious magazine...might have to add that to my "wish list"! I think I may have received a free issue to sample a while back and it's likely one of those invoices that Marcus conveniently ignored ;)

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Yum, this sounds terrific! I love orzo pasta. Thanks for the sausage tip.
~ingrid

Coleens Recipes said...

I love recipes like this because they are SO GOOD the next day for lunch too.

cookies and cups said...

I love orzo! This sounds great!

Colleen said...

I love this idea - we really like orzo!

teresa said...

this looks delicious! i love the flavors!

kanishk said...

cute little pasta thingies", too! :)

Work from home India

CaSaundraLeigh said...

Anything with the name Italian in it seals the deal for me--this looks delicious! Hope your enjoying the new year :-)

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