One Pot Orzo with Bacon and Peas

One Pot Orzo with Bacon and Peas, an easy-to-make dinner recipe that is ready in 30 minutes. It's a simple yet flavourful dish that requires minimal prep, effort and clean up, but it is sure to go down well with everyone in the family.

Orzo might look like rice, but it's in fact a sort of short-cut pasta made of wheat. It can be used in any dishes you would normally use pasta, but because of its shape and size, it also works well if you are looking to make a risotto-like dish.

And this is what this one-pot orzo looks like, a nice and creamy recipe that has the added goodness and flavour coming from the bacon and peas to create a meal that is comforting and nutritious.

And if I tell you that everything is cooked in one single pot right from the start, you know it can't get any easier to make. Don't you love easy dinner recipes that also deliver when it comes to taste? I certainly do.

Jump to:

• Ingredients used
• Easy swaps
• Step-by-step photos and instructions
• Expert tips
• Recipe FAQs
• One Pot Orzo with Bacon and Peas

Ingredients used

• orzo - no need to rinse it like you would normally do with rice, since it's actually pasta it goes straight into the pan
• onion - I used a regular onion, but red onions or shallots are also ok
• bacon - I used streaky unsmoked bacon rashes, but any sort of bacon would do too
• peas - either garden peas or petit poids
• parmesan - for extra flavour and creaminess, it can also be swapped for any other hard cheese
• salt and pepper - to taste
• chicken stock - or beef stock, water could be used to, but I prefer the flavour that comes with stock

Easy swaps

I absolutely love the bacon in this dish, it adds so much flavour to it. Other great additions could be: leftover or rotisserie chicken or any other leftover meat: beef, pork, lamb, etc, sausages of any sort including chorizo, my One Pot Leftover Roast Chicken Pasta is a good indication of how brilliant one-pot dishes are.

Do make sure that if you use uncooked meat instead of leftovers, this must be cooked before the rest of the ingredients are added just like I did with the bacon, otherwise they simply do not have enough to cook through.

As for veggies, apart from peas, you can use any other greens: green beans, spinach, sprouts, or mushrooms, carrots, peppers and so much more.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

• in a pan set over a high heat, add the chopped bacon and fry until crispy
• add the peeled and chopped onion and fry for a further 2-3 minutes for the onion to soften up
• add the peas and butter and give everything a good stir

• add the orzo and give mix everything well, then pour over the stock
• place a lid on the pan and decrease the heat to medium
• leave it to cook until all the liquid is absorbed
• add the grated parmesan and season with salt and pepper

Expert tips

Keep an eye on it to make sure the orzo does not stick to the bottom of the pan when the liquid evaporates, especially if the pan is not a non-stick one. You can stir it now and then to ensure you get the right texture.

Any raw meat must be cooked before the veggies and orzo are added to the pan, otherwise, if you use leftover meat of any sort, they can be all added at the same time.

Recipe FAQs

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