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Cheesy Baked Orzo Pasta in dish and on spoon.

Cheesy Baked Orzo

Cheesy Baked Orzo is comfort food! Parmesan, garlic, and a creamy sauce makes this a tasty side dish. Or just grab a bowl and eat it by itself!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword cheesy baked orzo recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 345 kcal
Author Sandy Clifton

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Orzo uncooked
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 Tbsp Butter
  • 1 Small Sweet Onion finely diced
  • Pinch Salt
  • Pinch Pepper
  • 2 Cloves Garlic pressed or finely minced
  • 3 Tbsp Flour
  • 1 ¾ cups Chicken Stock
  • ½ cup Heavy Cream or half and half
  • 2 cups Parmesan Cheese grated or shredded, and divided
  • 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
  • 1 Tbsp Green Onion chopped, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Cook the orzo in salted water according to package directions, usually 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.
  2. While pasta water is heating up you can begin the sauce.
  3. Heat a frying pan to medium heat.
  4. Add olive oil and butter.
  5. Add the onion and stir.
  6. Add salt & pepper.
  7. Cook until tender and translucent, stirring occasionally.
  8. Stir in the garlic.
  9. Whisk in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. This will make a paste.
  10. Very slowly at first, start pouring in some of the chicken stock, while whisking constantly. Gradually add the entire 2 cups. This helps prevent lumps from forming. Using a flat whisk helps a lot!
  11. Increase heat to Medium High, while still whisking constantly. Don’t let it stick to the bottom! Mixture will thicken as it gets hotter and starts to simmer.
  12. Cook until it gets about as thick as a loose gravy (it won’t be really thick).
  13. Whisk in the half and half.
  14. Turn off the burner and move the pan off of the heat.

  15. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste. Remember, the parmesan you'll be adding is a bit salty, so keep that in mind!

  16. Stir in 1 cup of the parmesan cheese.
  17. Pour the cooked & drained orzo into the sauce and stir until incorporated.
  18. Transfer to a sprayed 8” x 8” baking dish.
  19. Mix the remaining ½ cup of parmesan and the 1 cup of mozzarella cheese together and sprinkle over the orzo mixture. Cover the entire surface.
  20. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.

  21. Garnish with chopped green onion.