Creamy Asparagus Orzo

I love risotto but sometimes I don’t have the patience to stand in front of the stove stirring for such a long time, as is required, which is why I created this recipe. This week I was craving asparagus risotto, but I was too hungry to wait for a risotto to be cooked, so I used orzo pasta instead. It was easy and absolutely delicious. Here it is, Asparagus Orzo, and of course I made it vegetarian so my husband could eat it too and he just loved it.

Ingredients

1 pound thin asparagus, washed and trimmed
1 pound orzo pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste
2 garlic cloves
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add the asparagus and salt. Cook the asparagus for 1 minute. Drain the asparagus and save the cooking water for later use.

2. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water and the reserved asparagus water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until tender, but still firm to the bite. Drain the pasta.

3. Cut the asparagus into 1 ½ inches piece and add to the blender and save the tips for later use.

4. Add the garlic cloves, heavy cream, salt and pepper to the blender and blend until smooth.

5. In a saucepan add the orzo, asparagus mixture and parmesan cheese. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the asparagus tips, stir gently and serve warm with parmesan cheese on top.

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Tagged as: Asparagus, Cheese, Meatless, Orzo, Pasta, Vegetable