While we love a bowlful of creamy steamy risotto heavenly scented with mushrooms, we don’t like the long cooking time. Orzo is a smart substitute. It looks like rice, but cooks in half the time.
Fast faux risotto
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PREP TIME
6 min
Makes
4 to 6 servings
* PLUS Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter , or olive oil
- 1 large onion , coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced, or 1 tbsp bottled chopped garlic
- 250-g pkg sliced button mushrooms , or about 4 cups
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 3 plum tomatoes
- 2 green onions
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo
- 284-mL can undiluted chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup grated asiago or parmesan
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. When bubbly, add onion. Stir often just until onion begins to soften, from 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms. Sprinkle in salt and 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) thyme. Stir often until mushrooms are golden-tinged, from 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely chop tomatoes and thinly slice green onions. Set green onions aside. Stir in tomatoes with any juice and seeds and orzo. Then pour in chicken broth.
- Using a wooden spoon, scrape up and stir in any brown bits from pan bottom into sauce for added flavour. Stir constantly until orzo absorbs most of liquid in pan, about 5 minutes. Add water and stir often until most of liquid is absorbed, from 4 to 5 minutes. Mixture should look a little soupy.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese and green onions until cheese has melted, about 1 minute. Taste and stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) thyme, if needed. Ladle risotto into warm soup bowls and serve immediately with a leafy green salad and thick slices of fresh focaccia or pumpernickel.
Nutrition (per serving)
- Calories
- 286,
- Protein
- 12.8 g,
- Carbohydrates
- 38.6 g,
- Fat
- 9 g,
- Fibre
- 3.4 g,
- Sodium
- 689 mg.
FILED UNDER: Dinner Pasta stovetop Vegetarian
