Want to know what I find difficult? Besides finding a hair length I like, painting my own toes, and sleeping on airplanes?
Finding a good side dish recipe.
I’m the kind of person who can sit down with a big bowl of soup or piece of lasagna and be just fine, but Ben likes himself some options at dinnertime. Most nights though, after a long day of work (ie functioning brain cells are at their daily minimum,) all I can think of is tossing together a side salad. Easy but slightly boring.
The recipe for Cheesy Broccoli Orzo though? Easy and totally UN-boring! This creamy, cheesy, broccoli-studded pasta side dish cooks up in one pan in minutes. Serve with chicken, pork, or a huge salad. Honestly it doesn’t really matter – Cheesy Broccoli Orzo will steal the show.
How to Make this Recipe
Start by boiling a cup of orzo for a three minutes. Orzo is pasta that looks like grains of rice. Use gluten free if you need it!
After three minutes, add broccoli florets that have been chopped small, then continue to cook until the pasta is al dente.
Drain the mixture very well — broccoli florets are notorious for holding onto water — then return the broccoli and orzo to the pot.
Here’s where the magic happens. To the pot add shredded cheddar cheese, grated parmesan cheese, plus a pat of butter.
Now, I am NOT the cheese nor butter police, so if you want to add more cheese or butter? GO FOR IT!
Drizzle in milk, any kind, then stir until smooth and creamy.
Season with salt to taste (may not need it) then dish up and dine. I hope you love this incredibly simple yet super tasty side dish – enjoy!
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Cheesy Broccoli Orzo
Description
Cheesy Broccoli Orzo is a crowd-pleasing, quick and easy side dish recipe for dinner. Serve with chicken, pork, or a big salad!
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free or regular orzo (dish will not be GF if using regular orzo)
- 1-1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup 2% milk
- salt, to taste
Directions
- Add orzo to a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes then add chopped broccoli and cook for 2 more minutes, or until orzo is tender. Drain well (broccoli florets are notorious for holding onto water) then return to the pot. Add cheeses, butter, and 1/4 cup milk then stir well and add more milk if needed. Season with salt to taste.
Notes
- Feel free to add more shredded cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, and/or butter to your liking. You may need a touch more milk to get the pasta smooth and creamy.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Orzo Recipes: 14 Healthy and Absolutely  Delicious Dishes 12.29.2015
[…] 9. Cheesy Broccoli Orzo […]
Cheesy Broccoli Orzo - Chicken enchilada recipes 09.21.2015
[…] iowagirleats.com […]
Kristin 09.03.2015
Made this last night for my family and we loved it! So glad I doubled it. It was super easy and quick, perfect for a school night. And I may have thrown in a little extra cheese and butter :) Thanks for another great recipe. Trying your garlic parm quinoa tonight!
Kristin 09.03.2015
LOVE the part about the extra cheese and especially butter. ;) So glad your family loved it!!
Cheese Broccoli Orzo 05.20.2015
[…] easy recipe and I found that you can add additional cheese to your liking. Recipe is adapted from Iowa Girl Eats. I added additional cheese to our recipe, whole milk, and no […]
Cheesy Broccoli Orzo | My Blog 04.24.2015
[…] see myself serving this side dish A LOT. Cheesy Broccoli Orzo adapted from: Iowa Girl Eats(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with […]
Anna S. 03.31.2015
This was amazing! I had some leftover grilled asparagus and broccoli, which I chopped and heated up. Then I just cooked the orzo for 5 minutes, drained it and then threw in the veggies and followed the rest of the recipe as written. LOVED IT. Will make again VERY soon!
Bella 02.26.2015
This orzo is delicious, and the photos are amazing!
Weight Watchers Menu Jan 6th -12th 09.11.2014
[…] found the Cheesy Broccoli Orzo at Iowa Girl Eats, and we are going to add Chicken to […]
Prashanthi 08.30.2014
This dish was delicious! I used chicken broth to cook the orzo and broccoli- it took about 10 min to cook. I added some smoked paprika at the end to taste. Thank you!!
Kelly 05.14.2014
I thought it was a good base recipe, but it was pretty bland. Next time I am going to cook the noodles and broc in chicken broth, add some pepper, garlic seasoning and onion powder.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Cheesy Orzo with Broccoli | Real Food Girl 05.07.2014
[…] A good recipe is a good recipe. Sometimes you just have to Real Foodify it, as I like to say. This recipe came from Iowa Girl Eats. She’s got a great little blog filled with some tasty recipes […]
dave 05.01.2014
This looks like just what im looking for, but the orzo cooks in only 5 minutes? Is that right?
Kristin 05.06.2014
Mine cooked in 5 minutes – I just followed package instructions. I’d check out the instructions on your particular package to double check if you have concerns!
This Week I Have Been Mostly | Musings of a So-Called Shutterbug 01.12.2014
[…] full to bursting with fantastic healthy food ideas. The latest one I’ve tried is for cheesy broccoli orzo which has made enough for two good-sized portions to take to work. It tasted great hot so I’m […]
Samantha 01.05.2014
This was fantastic. I made no changes :)
Cheesy Broccoli Orzo by Kristin | Food Recipes, Food Tales, Tips & Tricks and latest Trends 11.22.2013
[…] Â iowa girl eats […]
Angela Lightner 10.21.2013
Made this for dinner tonight and it’s a hit! My little one’s loved it. Thanks for the great recipe :)
Nicole 07.20.2013
Just made this, very yummy! Will be adding it to the family recipe book ASAP :) Thanks!
Marley&Me 07.15.2013
made this but used both broccoli and collie flower also 1% milk as it was all we had in the house. still turned out amazing!very easy quick and yummy recipe!
mitchem kitchen: orzo pasta. » Kelly Mitchem 06.27.2013
[…] my dish. this is another one of our fall back recipes that we keep on hand at all times, we got it here from iowa girl eats. she used it as a side for their main ingredient but dan and i use it as the […]
Jenn 06.14.2013
This looks yum! What is the recipe for the chicken on top? That looks great, too!
Iowa Girl Eats 06.16.2013
It’s just chicken brushed with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and then sauteed until cooked through. :)