One Pot Orzo with Smoked Gouda and Thyme
Smoked gouda, orzo, and thyme team up in this easy and luscious one pot creation. It's risotto’s low maintenance, effortlessly cool cousin who can’t wait to meet you.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried orzo
- ½ cup grated smoked gouda plus a bit more for serving
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves from approximately 8 sprigs
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, finely diced substitute ¼ cup white or yellow onion
- ⅛ tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tsp lemon zest about a third of a lemon
- juice from half a lemon about 1 tbsp, to taste
- 1.5 cups chicken broth or stock substitute vegetable broth
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ tsp salt plus more to taste
- a few grinds of pepper
- grated parmesan cheese optional, for serving
Instructions
- Add the butter and olive oil to a medium pot over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter and olive oil start to shimmer, add the diced shallot (or onion) and let it sweat until slightly softened, about two minutes.
- Stir in the minced garlic, thyme leaves, and red pepper flakes. Cook until you can smell the garlic, about 30 seconds. Add the uncooked orzo, stir to combine, and let it toast for about one minute.
- Pour in the chicken stock and milk. Add the salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the orzo simmer, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is cooked through. Make sure you keep it to a simmer so the liquid doesn’t boil off before the orzo has a chance to absorb it. This took about 15 minutes for me, a few minutes longer than the suggested time on the box of orzo I used.
- Remove from heat and add the shredded smoked Gouda (finally!), lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir to combine and breathe in that heavenly scent. Add a bit more salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with more Gouda, a sprinkle of Parmesan, lemon zest, or red pepper flakes as you wish. Enjoy!
Notes
Zest your lemon before you juice it to avoid the unnecessary frustration of trying to zest limp lemon skin.
I suggest adding the lemon a bit at a time and tasting. I’m a lemon head, so I can’t trust myself on lemon proportions.
I promise, cooking pasta in milk is a thing. But if that freaks you out, leave out the milk and add an extra cup of chicken broth/stock/water instead.
If you make this with dried thyme instead of fresh, only use 1 tsp. Whenever you choose dried herbs instead of fresh, use about a third of the amount.
Woody herbs, like thyme, do well when added at the beginning of a recipe. It gives them time (thyme?) to infuse flavor throughout the dish. If you substitute for a more delicate herb (parsley, basil, etc.), wait until the last step to add it.