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Orzo with Mushrooms, Scallions and Parmesan is a delicious pasta dish made with orzo and mushrooms in a light sauce flavored with chicken stock, marjoram, scallions, and Parmesan cheese.
This recipe for Orzo with Mushrooms, Scallions and Parmesan has been in my recipe collection for years. It has also been shared with several of my family members, and it’s so good, it shows up on the menu for many of our family gatherings.
This Orzo with Mushrooms, Scallions and Parmesan is super easy to make. It’s a delicious combination of tender orzo pasta and plump sautéed mushrooms. Although the ingredients are simple, this pasta dish packs a lot of flavor because the orzo is cooked in chicken stock. (Use homemade chicken stock if you can, or a good-quality canned stock for convenience.)
Then the remaining stock (leftover from cooking the pasta) is used as a light sauté sauce that is flavored with marjoram and chopped fresh scallions. Those delicious flavors absorb into the mushrooms as they cook – further intensifying the savoriness of the dish.
Finally, the cooked orzo and mushrooms are finished off with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese – which adds additional creaminess plus more flavor to the orzo and mushrooms.
This Orzo with Mushrooms, Scallions and Parmesan can be served as a side dish, but it also makes a delicious, meatless main course as well. And, if you’d like to make this as a vegetarian dish, feel free to swap the chicken stock for vegetable broth.
Our recipe today was adapted from this recipe I originally clipped out of Better Homes & Gardens magazine several years ago.
This recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in February 2013. We’ve updated the photos and text.
You may also like these other recipes made with orzo pasta:
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Orzo with Mushrooms, Scallions and Parmesan
Orzo with Mushrooms, Scallions and Parmesan is a delicious pasta dish made with orzo and mushrooms in a light sauce flavored with chicken stock, marjoram, scallions, and Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (plus more as needed)
- 3/4 cup orzo pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
- 1 bunch scallions, diced (include both white and green parts)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add orzo to the stock and cook until al dente – approximately 10 minutes. (Add more chicken stock to the saucepan if necessary if the pasta absorbs all of the liquid during the cooking process.)
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add quartered mushrooms and sauté, stirring frequently, until just slightly tender. Add marjoram and scallions to the skillet and cook, stirring for about 1 minute.
- Drain the orzo in a colander that has been placed in a large bowl – you want to collect any remaining chicken stock leftover from the cooking process to use for the sauce.
- Add the cooked orzo to the skillet with the mushroom mixture, along with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the reserved chicken stock from cooking the pasta. Over medium high heat, simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat. Season with salt and grated parmesan – toss to combine and serve immediately.
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Delicious recipe! All I had on hand were baby portobellos, so used those instead of button. I Added some garlic, and mixed in some micro greens before serving. Everyone loved it! Thanks for great and easy recipe
You’re welcome Kathi! Glad the recipe was a hit!
OMG!!! Great!!! I made it with a chicken breast and a chicken thigh that was slowly baked with garlic salt and fresh squeezed lemon. I poured the chicken broth product from the pan into the orzo. OMG!!! DELICIOUS!!!!
Thank you!
Delicious and easy! Served with scallops!
Thank you – sounds like a great meal!
I like to add spinach.
Thanks for the suggestion Robin!
I’m using whole wheat orzo and cutting the recipe in half? Do you think 1 cup chicken stock would be enough or should I add extra?
Hi Deb – Start with 1 cup and then add more if necessary. From my experience, sometimes (depending on the brand), the whole wheat orzo cooks differently and may take more liquid to get tender.
Delicious dish as written. My family loves it!
Thank you Donna!
Great
Thanks Mary Jane!