Taste the flavours of summer in this fresh risotto-style pasta dish – a great recipe for a quick midweek dinner as it uses tiny orzo pasta. It’s a riff on the more traditional orzotto, which is usually made with pearl barley.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 80g pancetta cubes
- 260g orzo pasta
- 500ml chicken stock
- Juice 1 lemon
- 200g frozen petits pois
- 2 tbsp fresh pesto, plus extra to serve (we like Sacla)
- Large bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the pancetta and fry for a further 3-4 minutes, then stir in the orzo.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add all the stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes until nearly tender. Stir in the lemon juice and frozen peas. Simmer for a few minutes more, then add the pesto and parsley. Season to taste, then serve with an extra dollop of pesto and a squeeze of lemon.
FAQs
Unlike our updated recipe here, orzotto is usually made with pearl barley instead of rice or orzo. It’s most common in the north-eastern area of Italy. ‘Orzotto’ is portmanteau of orzo (the Italian word for barley) and risotto.
Nutrition
- 453kcals Calories
- 16.8g (4.1g saturated) Fat
- 15.8g Protein
- 56.1g (5.1g sugars) Carbs
- 7.2g Fibre
- 1.2g Salt
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