Suburban SoCal Girl: Recipe: Parmesan and Spinach Orzo

So I was craving something creamy and carb-y yesterday, and decided to go with this Parmesan and Spinach Orzo recipe that I had found a few months ago on Damn Delicious. I know Parmesan and Spinach Orzo is meant to be a side dish, and it probably would have been a lovely compliment to grilled chicken or maybe even grilled salmon, but I definitely enjoyed mine as a main dish and don't regret it for a second.

This dish is wonderfully light, and very simple to make. I actually had all the ingredients on hand, and didn't have to run out to grab anything which was so nice. I made the dish very close to the original recipe, deviating only when it came to the amount of garlic (doubling the amount required because I LOVE garlic). However, the next time I make this dish, I think I might leave out the onions because they added a somewhat unwanted taste and texture.

Parmesan and Spinach Orzo:

Ingredients:

-1 cup spinach, chopped

-1/2 onion, diced

-2 tbsp garlic, crushed

-1/2 cup orzo

-1/2 cup milk

-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

-1 tbsp all-purpose flour

-1 tbsp olive oil

-Salt, to taste

-Pepper, to taste

1.) Wash and chop up the spinach roughly and dice the onions finely

2.) Boil the 1/2 cup orzo in salted water according to the instructions on the packaging (about 7-9 minutes).

3.) Heat up the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Toss in the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent/slightly browned (3-4 minutes). (I cooked mine for about a minute longer because I like my onions browned)

4.) Stir in the all-purpose flour and cook until it's slightly browned (1-2 minutes).

5.) Carefully stir in the milk and continuously whisk it until the mixture begins to thicken (2-3 minutes). Mine turned out a little browner than expected because I browned my onions a bit more.