Creamy Garlic Parmesan Orzo is a perfect side dish for dinner tonight! This tasty twist on mac and cheese will have you going back for seconds!
I desperately need to add some more photos to the post. In the meantime, maybe some of these rave reviews will entice you to make this rockin’ recipe?
★★★★★ “Omg…so good. I was getting burned out on our regular side dishes and found this. Will definitely be making again and again.” – Wendy
★★★★★ “This recipe was AWESOME. An adult KD recipe in disguise? Sign me up! As a super picky eater I can’t express how much I appreciate your stroke of genius. I’ve been looking for a fairly healthy side dish as an alternative to rice, and I feel I’ve hit the jackpot. My only regret is that I hadn’t thought to snap a pic for Instagram before my family and I demolished the dish.” – Alex
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Orzo
This totally luscious one-pot garlic parmesan orzo pasta makes an all-star side dish. You may even want to go ahead and make it a main course!
I’m thinking a big piping hot bowl of cheesy, garlicky orzo with a side of roasted broccoli or asparagus… maybe even a little side salad action to pack in extra veg… YES PLEASE!
This jazzed up cheesy pasta is ready to rock your plate. Print out the recipe card below and meet me in the kitchen!
Garlic Parmesan Orzo
Ingredients
- 2 tsp unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 large shallot* (1/4 cup minced)
- 2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pan (grab one that's deep enough for your orzo + sauce) over medium-high heat and sauté your shallot and garlic until tender, adding the garlic towards the end to prevent burning. If extra butter is needed, feel free to add as desired.
- Add your milk, broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir with a whisk to deglaze the pan.
- With your burner set to medium (I had mine set to 6) add the orzo and stir. Set timer for 10 minutes. Once the orzo starts to really boil and bubble, reduce heat to low (2 worked great on my stove) and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Once the pasta is al-dente or your ideal softness, remove from heat. Sauce will be thin and thicken as it cools. Add your parmesan cheese and chopped spinach and fold into the orzo.
- Season to taste as desired, garnish with any additional cheese your heart desires and dig in while it’s hot!
Notes
Nutrition
Q: Can I use something other than spinach?
You absolutely can! Kale makes a great swap for the spinach. You could even amp up your veggie content by adding sauteed mushrooms to the mix.
I’ve made a ton of tasty variations of this dish with different flavor combinations. There’s a creamy tomato orzo, a baller beta carotene rich carrot orzo, and a cozy tomato zucchini orzo that you have GOT to try next!
Behind the Blog
I currently have a huge stack of books next to my bed that are calling my name.
My book obsession is getting a bit out of hand as my TBR list increases almost daily. Right now I’m about halfway through What Alice Forgot and don’t want to put it down! I may start carving out designated binge-reading nights so I can catch up. Sleep? What’s that?
I don’t need no stinkin’ sleep!
Lies! I need all the sleep! And of course some cheesy pasta to dream about!
If you get a chance to try this tasty garlic parmesan orzo recipe, let me know! You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Questions & Reviews
Has anyone used heavy cream instead of milk?
Hey Ashley! I have used it with great results. The sauce comes out even thicker and creamier which is pretty glorious.
Perfect, thank you!! 🙂
You’re super welcome! xo
so easy, so perfect as a side, amazing flavors! Thank you for this recipe
Should the pot be covered once the orzo is put into the pot? Never cover?
Hi Susan! I don’t cover for this particular dish since I like stir and keep an eye on it.
This recipe is wonderful! I will add it to my favorites. It’s going to pair perfectly with my broccolini and king salmon. It was also pretty quick and easy!
Excellent. Maybe next time I might add lump crab meat to make it an entree. What do you think?
That combination sounds delicious!
I made this and just did itty bitty tweaks to meet what I had on hand. I used dinosaur kale instead of spinach, and because I was serving it with a lovely pan-fried chicken, I added the butter/oil/chicken bit/spice leftovers into the orzo after it was cooked. My husband was recovering from CV and had just gained his appetite back. He absolutely raved about it, and I found myself thinking, “if I got this in a restaurant, I would have been impressed!” Thank you for the exceptional recipe! This is going to become a cheat day/comfort food staple in our home 🙂
Sadly, the sauce didn’t thicken 🙁 until it was cold. I had to drain a bit off so that we could have dinner. It is absolutely delicious. Will try again.
So glad you still enjoyed the recipe Heidi! It for sure thickens as it cools (like it’s super saucy when it’s piping hot) but should not have to be completely cold to thicken. I am happy to help troubleshoot if you’d like. What type of milk did you use? I’m wondering if maybe the lower fat milk options will not work here. I usually have a small container 2% or whole handy for recipe testing so that’s what I use when I make this dish.
This is really a must try! Loved it. Do you think doubling the recipe would still work? Or do I need to make 2 pots?
You should be able to double it all in one pot. As long as it’s a big enough pot you’re good to go! So happy you loved the recipe, Suzy. Thanks!
I made this and it was fantastic!!! I made a few changes that I thought I’d share in case you were curious. I used two medium zucchini instead of spinach, five cloves of garlic instead of two, a half teaspoon of salt/pepper/garlic instead of a quarter, and I also added some sharp white cheddar in addition to the Parmesan as well as chopped flat leaf parsley and my husband and I went back for extra helpings and have been tanking through it! It’s so great and we loved the recipe! I just used what I had on hand a modified it bc were both obsessed with cheese and garlic 💚
This is so creamy and delicious. We all loved it.
I love anything with garlic and this orzo hits the spot! So tasty! And a great option for picky eaters, too!
So glad you’re loving it, Liz. Thank you!
Delicious and easy (my type of dish!).. I subbed the milk with chicken broth instead — approximately 2 cups od broth & 1/2c water additonally to help thin the liquid durinf cooking! Will definitely make again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kristyn!
Delicious, simple, and fast! We just lucked into some beautiful garlic and garlic powder from a local garlic farmer so we hammered it to this pasta. Fantastic!
Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
I’m so happy I came across your recipe! I made the orzo last night to serve with baked tilapia. I used purple kale instead of spinach and added a sautéed wild mushroom mixture along with extra fresh garlic. It was delicious and I’ll definitely make this again!
New family favorite. Thank you !!
Omg…so good. I was getting burned out on our regular side dishes and found this. Will definitely be making again and again. Thanks so much!
Delicious! I made it with half and half and water since I did not have any vegetarian stock.
I was going to make the creamy tomato orzo until I saw this recipe. I Love garlic!
Thank you very much!
Woot Woot! So stoked the swaps worked great and that you enjoyed the garlicky orzo – thanks Katie!
Made last night to accompany grilled steak. I didn’t have powdered garlic so I used fresh. It was a little (too?) garlicky but otherwise it was yummy. Meat loving hubby enjoyed it and will eat it again. Adding to my recipe list.
Can you substitute frozen spinach for fresh and if so how much?
Hi Renee! Of course! Since it varies a bit in flavor simply add it to taste. I’d start our with 1/4 cup or so and then increase as desired. I personally adore all spinach but I know some folks prefer to use less when using frozen – It’s totally up to you! xoxo
This is soooo good! Great side dish…made it once and have been looking for the recipe again ever since! Thanks!
Hey Jenn! This recipe was AWESOME. An adult KD recipe in disguise? Sign me up! As a super picky eater I can’t express how much I appreciate your stroke of genius. I’ve been looking for a fairly healthy side dish as an alternative to rice, and I feel I’ve hit the jackpot. My only regret is that I hadn’t thought to snap a pic for Instagram before my family and I demolished the dish. Cheers!
Super easy and very tasty, definitely make again!
Yay! Thanks Louise!
What do you eat this with? Can I chop up some chicken breast and cook it in the orzo? I have never made it before!!
Chicken is a great pairing! Last time I made it we had it alongside a rotisserie chicken with roasted broccoli. Cooking the chicken in the orzo would throw off the liquid measurements a bit (which the orzo needs to cook) so I’m not sure how to advise on that change. Maybe cook the chicken via a favorite method instead?
This recipe was absolutely delicious and not to mention very versatile. My daughter could not stop eating it. Thank you!!!!!! Wil be making it again and again!
Whoohoo!! Thanks Michelle!
I made this to your recipe. The only change I made was I put in a chopped sweet red pepper .
It made a lovely lunch with some smoked salmon. Thanks for the recipe.
Love the added red pepper!! Thanks Peter!
Do you have the nutritional values for the wonderful recipe?
Loved this ! I only had half cup orzo so i subbed in ditilli pasta. Increased salt and pepper and garlic powder to half tsp. Im sure it would have been just as good following the recipe exactly. I did use freshly grated parmesan as i was out of the Kraft parmesan and im sure it would have been only half cup . Yum!
Vynikající krémové orzo dle receptu zaujalo trvalé místo v mém jídelníčku! Určitě vyzkouším další varianty-děkuji 😋😋👌
Have you tried using almond milk instead of milk?
Hi Kassie! I haven’t but let me know if you get a chance to experiment! xo
This is probably way too late to help Kassie but, in case anyone else is wondering the same…
Almond milk is fine as a sub for milk in this! I never have milk on hand so I used almond milk. I find it’s generally a bit more watery than dairy milk so either add a touch less than the full cup or let it sit a bit longer to thicken up.
So good! Will definitely make it again!
Cut the recipe in half for two of us. So easy and delicious! Perfect side to go with our pork chops and tasted so much better than any boxed pasta. Thanks!
Can you make ahead and reheat?
Hey Ali! You can! The only thing is, and this happens with most pasta dishes, is that the pasta soaks up the sauce in the fridge and the orzo gets extra fluffy and drier.
I would maybe make some extra sauce to swirl in while you reheat, keep both the pasta and the sauce separate in the fridge and combine when reheating, or you can just stir in a little milk while reheating it and then adjust the seasoning to taste based on how much is added.
This was DELICIOUS! I’m a vegetarian, so I followed the recipe. But for my husband, I marinaded chicken breast in garlic and herb marinade the night before, baked it and he cut it up and mixed it in the pasta. Thank you for sharing!
Delicious side dish made for a neighborhood party. Used green onions and doubled recipe. Took a while longer to cook, but I’ll be making this again!
Thank you Melissa – I’m so stoked it’s making repeat status! Woot!
This is OUTRAGEOUS! My family loved this & it’s so simple!
Yay! Thank you Diana!
This was amazing! I used half milk half heavy cream.
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed it Tamiya!
This recipe is one that gets categorized as a ‘family favorite’! Made it for the firs time and we all LOVED it! I had some mushrooms that were lonely in the fridge, so I threw them in too! Turned out fantastic!
Day = Made!!! Thanks Ramona!
I have no orzo in my pantry. Do you think a small pasta like ditalini might make an okay substitute?
They have a much longer cook time so I’d have to test it to know for sure but LMK if you get a change to experiment! xo
Ooh and you could also just make the pasta in a separate pot-o-water, strain, and add then it to the dish. This way it would 100% work since the longer cook time wouldn’t be a factor here! Hope this helps!
YES! Come over for dinner and we can garlic it up!