“Orzo/risoni is one of my quick meal tips. It’s shaped like rice but tastes like pasta and cooks in just 5 minutes.” The main flavour base of this is pesto. When basil is in season or if you happen to have a friend with a “basil problem” in their herb patch (life is hard….), I instantly think of making pesto. The only problem is that homemade preservative-free basil doesn’t keep that well in the fridge – it tends to lose it’s bright green colour within a day and by the end of the week, it’s a rather unappetising greyish colour. You can preserve the colour better by ensuring you cover the top of the pesto with olive oil, but I still find that it discolours fairly quickly. So the way I get around this is to freeze it. The flavour and colour preserves really well! I pour it into ice cube trays, then once frozen I turn it out and store it in ziplock bags. Using an ice cube tray is really handy for having serving size portions of pesto in the freezer.
“Pesto pasta is not exactly an original recipe idea. But I thought a pesto risoni loaded up with vegetables was something a little different because it’s a complete meal.” Using pesto for pasta is pretty unoriginal, I know that! But I thought some people might find this recipe handy for a quick midweek meal – something a little different by using orzo/risoni and also ensuring there is enough zucchini and peas in this so it can be considered a complete meal. I made this recipe using homemade pesto, but it can be made with store bought pesto too. I’ve also included a pesto recipe in the notes. It’s honestly so fast to make – just throw the ingredients in the food processor and whizz. What are your “go to” quick meal fix tips? I’d love to hear them – it will inspire me for more 15 Minute Meal ideas!
More risoni / orzo recipes
One Pot Italian Chicken Orzo / Risoni Pasta – cosy, saucy one pot chicken and risoni dinner Orzo / Risoni Bolognaise – one pot bolognese pasta dish! Greek Lemon Orzo Salad – a bright fresh pasta salad loaded with Greek flavours Creamy Salmon Risoni / Orzo (15 Minute Meal) – tastes like risotto, except MUCH faster to make! Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo (Risoni) (One Pot) – tastes like a creamy mushroom risotto Baked Greek Chicken Orzo (Risoni) – Greek chicken AND orzo made in one pot! One Pot Creamy Chicken, Vegetable & Parmesan Orzo (Risoni) – creamy chicken and vegetable orzo, a quick 20 minute meal
