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    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

    Cheesy Vegetable Orzo

    Published: Jan 16, 2020 · Modified: Apr 7, 2023 · by Renée B. · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Creamy Vegetable Orzo - Pin

    Cheesy Vegetable Orzo is a quick, easy, economical side dish that will convert even your worst vegetable-haters into zucchini-eaters.

    Cooked orzo in a stone bowl, garnished with zucchini-carrot flowers and carrot curls.

    This Cheesy Vegetable Orzo recipe came to me many years ago by way of my friend Val, and it has become a staple on our table ever since.

    When my kids were young, we ate this simple orzo recipe so often that it became a running gag. No matter how often I served it, someone always asked, "Is that rice?" And then everyone would stare expectedly at me until I told them, "No, that is not rice. That is orzo." And then everyone would nod like I had imparted some deep existential truth before they busted out laughing. Again.

    This healthy orzo recipe is fast, easy to make, and extremely budget-friendly. It isn't a fancy recipe, but it goes with almost anything, and you can make it with basic kitchen staples.

    Ingredients

    • Orzo
    • Onion: Use a yellow or sweet onion.
    • Carrots: Avoid using "baby carrots". Full stop. They are usually bland, and often bitter.
    • Zucchini: You can also use yellow squash.
    • Garlic: Use fresh garlic if possible.
    • Basil: You can make this recipe with fresh basil, but dried basil works fine, too. 
    • Cheddar: You can use any melty cheddar or Jack cheese: CoJack, Pepper Jack, Monteray Jack, etc.
    • Vegetable broth (or chicken broth): If you use homemade broth, thin it to the consistency of boxed broth.
    • Cooking oil: Use a neutral cooking oil, like light olive oil or canola oil.
    • Kosher Salt
    • Pepper

    See recipe card for quantities.

    How to Make this Easy Orzo Recipe

    In a medium non-stick saucepan, sauté onion in olive oil until soft (about three minutes). Add garlic and sauté one minute more.

    Add broth, grated carrots, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. (Add dried basil at this time if you aren't using fresh.)

    Stir in the orzo. Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is tender.

    Remove from heat; stir in zucchini, cheese, and fresh basil if you are using it.

    Cover and let stand about 3 minutes to allow the hot orzo mixture to melt the cheese and cook the grated zucchini.

    Serve warm.

    Overhead shot of cooked orzo in a stone bowl, garnished with zucchini-carrot flowers and carrot curls.

    Storage

    Cooked vegetable orzo pasta will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat leftovers on the stovetop or in the microwave.

    Top Tip

    This easy orzo recipe is a great way to help kids eat more vegetables!

    Getting kids to eat their veggies can be tricky. One of my girls once survived for at least a month eating nothing but mac & cheese and fishy crackers. (Don't worry - she's fine now.) During that phase, Cheesy Orzo was the one thing I could get her to eat that had vegetables in it. Because she didn't know! The orzo disguised the grated veggies; and if she didn't ask, I wasn't telling!

    Hint: Zucchini Fritters are another stealthy way to get more veggies on the plate.

    FAQ

    What is orzo?

    Orzo is a small, oval, rice-shaped pasta, or pastini (little pasta). It is made from semolina flour,  a course-ground flour made from durum wheat. Because it is made with semolina flour, it holds up well to cooking and won't get mushy.

    Overhead shot of cooked orzo in a stone bowl.

    More Vegetarian Side Dish Recipes

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    What to Serve with Orzo

    Serve this easy side dish as you would rice pilaf. It pairs well with casseroles, sandwiches, roasted vegetables, and all manner of proteins (i.e., beef, chicken, pork, and fish).

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    4.86 from 7 votes

    Cheesy Vegetable Orzo

    Cheesy Vegetable Orzo is a quick, easy, economical side dish that will convert even your worst vegetable-haters into zucchini-eaters.
    Print Pin Add to Shopping List Go to Shopping List
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Prep Time:5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time:20 minutes minutes
    Total Time:25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 116kcal
    Author: Renee
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 Grater
    • 1 medium saucepan

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    • 1 teaspoon olive oil
    • ½ large large onion chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
    • 1 cup grated carrots
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • 1 cup orzo uncooked
    • 1 cup shredded zucchini
    • 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
    • 3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil

    Instructions

    • In a medium non-stick saucepan, sauté onion in olive oil until soft (about three minutes). Add garlic and sauté one minute more.
    • Add broth, grated carrots, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. (Add dried basil at this time if you aren't using fresh.)
    • Stir in the orzo. Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is tender.
    • Remove from heat; stir in zucchini, cheese, and fresh basil if you are using it.
      Cover and let stand about 3 minutes to allow the hot orzo mixture to melt the cheese and cook the grated zucchini.
    • Serve warm.

    Notes

    BROTH: If I use a commercially prepared vegetable broth, I omit the salt. If I use homemade broth, I dilute it dramatically so that the broth flavor doesn't overpower the other vegetables.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.75cup | Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 8.8g | Protein: 6.7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 533mg | Potassium: 191mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 1mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

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    This post was originally published August 22, 2013

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    About Renée B.

    Renée is self-taught home chef with a penchant for creating healthy(ish) comfort food recipes, and adapting vintage recipes for the 21st century cook. In her spare time, she writes unfinished novels and songs about cowboys.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.86 from 7 votes

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    1. LB says

      August 27, 2022 at 2:57 pm

      4 stars
      Loved this with own personal preference tweaking. You really can’t go wrong with this dish. Toddler approved - I feel like that says a lot in and of itself haha!

      Reply
      • Renée says

        August 28, 2022 at 7:02 pm

        So happy that it met your toddlers high standards! Recipes on that list are gold! (The struggle is real.) 😉

        Reply
    2. Jenni LeBaron says

      January 17, 2020 at 2:17 pm

      5 stars
      What a gorgeous dish! This will be perfect for our Meatless Mondays and I love that this is packed full of veggies!

      Reply
    3. Emily says

      January 17, 2020 at 11:16 am

      This really looks good. I enjoy the texture and flavor of orzo.

      Reply
    4. Jordan | Read. Eat. Repeat. says

      January 17, 2020 at 5:35 am

      5 stars
      Now THIS sounds amazing. I'm always trying to sneak in more veggies on my unsuspecting family, and masking the zucchini in pasta and cheddar sounds perfect.

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        January 17, 2020 at 12:13 pm

        If you peel the zuke first, the kids won't even know it's there!

        Reply
    5. Scarlet says

      January 16, 2020 at 2:15 pm

      I love orzo and those veggie flowers are such a cute addition. My kids are gonna love those!

      Reply
    6. Veena Azmanov says

      January 16, 2020 at 1:56 pm

      5 stars
      Looks delicious and cheese is my all time favorite too. I am making it for sure.

      Reply
    7. Paula Montenegro says

      January 16, 2020 at 1:55 pm

      Such a great way to use orzo! I love it and love this idea of zucchini and cheese. The rice comment never fails to appear, haha! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    8. Chris Collins says

      January 16, 2020 at 1:41 pm

      5 stars
      I love orzo so much! Definitely trying this out on my next Meat Free Monday 🙂

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        January 16, 2020 at 1:46 pm

        Enjoy! ?

        Reply
    9. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

      January 16, 2020 at 1:33 pm

      5 stars
      Now this looks like a side dish I definitely need to try! I struggle to get the family to eat zucchini sometimes so this may get them eating it.

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        January 16, 2020 at 1:45 pm

        If you peel the zucchini before you shred it, no one will even know it's there!

        Reply
    10. Tonje says

      January 16, 2020 at 1:20 pm

      This was delicious! Will be making it again for sure.

      Reply
    11. Amber Myers says

      January 16, 2020 at 11:21 am

      5 stars
      I tend to love all things with cheese. I am excited to try this out. It looks spectacular.

      Reply
    12. Shayla says

      January 16, 2020 at 8:07 am

      I have most of these ingredients, I think I'll make some of this tonight! It looks fantastic.

      Reply

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