I haven’t made this dish in ages! It is so satisfying and good, yet, for some reason orzo seems to have fallen out of fashion in our household. Now I am determined to make that right again. I only wish we could find more varieties here in SF. I remember in the Big Apple orzo came in many different colors, brands, sizes and shapes. Clearly I need to shop, maybe in North Beach.

orzo with spinach

You can serve this as a side or main dish. We had ours with poached salmon in lemon sauce.

orzo with spinach

1 lb orzo
2 lb organic spinach leaves: try the curly type (Bloomsdale) they are more flavorful
6 cloves of garlic, cut into thin slivers
5 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt to taste
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp pine nuts

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook per instruction in the package. Drain.

Dry roast pine nuts in a skillet for about a minute, remove from heat and set aside.

Return skillet back to burner. Add 3 tbsp of olive oil. Toss in garlic and sauté until aromatic. Add spinach in three batches and cook until wilted (it is okay if some leaves don’t wilt fully, they will in the dish). Toss in orzo, season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Add cheese, remaining olive oil and pine nuts. Adjust flavors with more salt, pepper!

Makes about six servings.

Tagged as: garlic, olive oil, orzo, parmesan, pine nuts, spinach