Creamy Courgette, Sun-dried Tomato & Saffron Orzo

Published by

Jasmine

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Today I’m sharing one of my go-to weeknight dinners; it’s a one-pot, it’s packed full of flavour and it can be on the table in 20-ish minutes! If that sounds good to you then keep reading…

INGREDIENTS

Aromatics and spices:

Garlic

Shallot

Saffron

Filling:

Courgette

Sun-dried tomatoes

Orzo

Base:

Butter and olive oil mix (for a rich, creamy sauce)

Double cream

Unwaxed lemon (zest and juice)

Pecorino (Parmigiano Reggiano or a vegetarian Italian hard cheese also work)

TIPS

This is a super-simple recipe; there’s just one thing I recommend making a bit of extra effort for and that’s the saffron. I recommend drying out the saffron by microwaving it for 5-10 seconds before grinding it using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder (if you don’t have either; you could very finely chop it and still get some infusion). You then add it to 50ml of boiling water and stir so you get a stronger saffron colour and flavour than adding the threads whole.

Courgette, Sun-dried Tomato & Saffron Orzo

  • Servings: 2-3
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

A creamy one-pot orzo that can be made in 20 minutes

No special equipment or advance prep needed (but a spice grinder or pestle and mortar are recommended)


Ingredients

  • 1 shallot (finely chopped)
  • 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped, grated or crushed)
  • 150g of orzo
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 tbsp of butter
  • 6 sun-dried tomatoes (chopped into chunks)
  • 1 courgette (grated)
  • 1 unwaxed lemon (juice and zest)
  • 2 tbsp of double cream
  • 55g of pecorino (+ extra for topping) (finely grated)
  • 4 threads of saffron (dry out and grind down as described in the Tips section)
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Boil the kettle
  2. In a large, wide-based lidded pan, melt the butter into the olive oil over a medium heat and add the garlic, shallot and lemon zest – sauté for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and season with salt and pepper
  3. Combine 50ml of boiling water with the ground saffron and stir to infuse
  4. Add the orzo to the pan and toast for 2-3 minutes before adding the courgette and sun-dried tomatoes – cook for a further 5 minutes
  5. Add the saffron water and lemon juice and stir
  6. Add a further 250-300ml of boiling water, cover and cook for c.15 minutes, stirring every so often until the orzo is cooked and the water absorbed
  7. Add the pecorino whilst stirring (gradually so it melts), season again if needed
  8. Add the double cream and stir
  9. Serve with a little extra pecorino, if desired

Let me know if you try my 20 minute creamy orzo!

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