Friends, let me introduce you to my new favorite weeknight dinner side dish. This Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo is packed with flavor! It’s made with sautéed onions and mushrooms, baby spinach, and orzo that’s cooked in a creamy, savory sauce. And the best part…it’s all made in one pot and is ready in just 30 minutes. I love to serve this with my Sautéed Chicken Breasts but I'll be honest, I could eat this all by itself any day of the week!
So, one pot dishes are kind of my new thing! It just makes life so much easier. If you also love saving time and washing less dishes then try out my one-pan Chicken Sausage and Cabbage next!
Ingredients
This one-pot orzo recipe includes simple, wholesome ingredients, and lots of flavor! Here’s a quick rundown of everything you need to make it:
- Orzo: Orzo pasta is the perfect size and shape to cook in a one-pan dish and it cooks fairly quickly. You can find it in the regular pasta aisle at your grocery store.
- Onion and garlic: The combination of onion and garlic creates a wonderful foundation of flavor for the orzo pasta.
- Mushrooms: The sautéed mushrooms add lots of umami flavor to the dish. And it gives it a meaty, hearty texture making it perfect to enjoy this recipe as a small main dish or a side dish.
- Chicken Broth: I'm using chicken broth to cook the orzo plus it adds another layer of flavor to the dish.
- Seasoning: A simple seasoning mix of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning is all you need!
- Heavy Cream and Parmesan: And to make it creamy I used a little bit of heavy cream along with some parmesan cheese.
How To Make Mushroom and Spinach Orzo
This recipe only requires a few steps and comes together quickly!
Step One: In a large deep skillet sauté the sliced mushrooms with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on medium heat until golden brown and tender. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Next sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
Step Two: Now add in the spices and uncooked orzo to the skillet. Stir to combine with the onion and garlic. Pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring the skillet up to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the orzo uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the skillet. After 8 minutes, stir in the parmesan cheese.
Step Three: Now add in the baby spinach and sautéed mushrooms. Allow the orzo to simmer for another 2 minutes until the pasta is tender then turn the heat off. Enjoy this easy one-pot recipe by itself or with your favorite protein for a simple, delicious dinner!
Important Recipe Tip!
Very important...keep an eye on the orzo as it cooks and make sure to stir it frequently while it’s simmering to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo
Ingredients
- 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth*
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Start by prepping the vegetables. Slice the mushrooms, dice the onion, and mince the garlic cloves.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot add the mushrooms along with a pinch of salt and pinch of pepper. Sauté the mushrooms for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the mushrooms are golden brown and tender, transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same skillet add another 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter. Add the diced onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 more seconds.
- Next add the Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and uncooked orzo. Stir together with the onions and garlic. Now slowly pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream. Stir everything together and scrape up any browned bits that may be stuck at the bottom of the skillet.
- Bring the orzo up to a gentle boil. As soon as it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the orzo simmer for 8 minutes. Stir the orzo frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
- After 8 minutes slowly stir in the grated parmesan. Then add the sautéed mushrooms and chopped spinach to the skillet and stir to combine with the orzo. Continue simmering the orzo for 2-3 minutes until the pasta is tender. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- I used chicken broth in this recipe, but if you want to make it vegetarian just switch the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Nutrition
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