Quick & Easy Orzo Carbonara
This is an ideal recipe if you want a way to incorporate green vegetables into your diet! It is also beginner friendly, full of flavor and versatile.
To set yourself up for success, set all of your ingredients in front of you. By doing this, you'll stay organized, save time and likely make no mistakes!
In this recipe I used fresh broccoli because that's what I had on hand. At the beginning of the week, I like to shock fresh greens like broccoli or asparagus. This way I'm likely to incorporate more veggies into my day to day cooking. But, I totally get it if you can barely find the time to eat! So, if you want to make this an even faster dinner, use frozen, thawed broccoli instead. Another time saving to tip is to clean as you go!
First, fill a large pot with salted water. Bring it up to a boil. While you're waiting for the water to boil, roughly chop sun-dried tomatoes and set aside. Rough chop garlic and set aside.
Once the water is boiling, add the bag of broccoli and cook until it's fork tender (about 6-7 minutes). Drain broccoli and set aside. Fill the pot with salted water once more and bring up to a boil. While you wait for the water to boil, roughly chop broccoli and set aside. Alternately, you could use 2 separate pots - one for the broccoli, one for the orzo. But, I personally, like less dishes :)
You're done chopping! Go ahead and clean your cutting board and put it away.
Once your water is boiling, cook the orzo based on package instructions. While you wait the pasta to finish cooking, whisk together eggs, garlic, parm, salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside. Traditional carbonara is made by tossing cooked, hot spaghetti in raw eggs and parmesan. The hot pasta cooks the eggs through and creates a velvety, lustrous sauce! If this is your first time trying carbonara, you're in for a treat!
Right before the pasta is done cooking, scoop out a cup of pasta water. It doesn't need to be a measured, exact cup. I just used a mug to scoop out the hot pasta water. Place your strainer in the sink and drain pasta. Add the orzo back to your pan, as well as about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and stir, stir, stir. Now add the egg + parm mixture and continue to stir. The sauce should thicken. If it feels too sticky, add more pasta water. Now add the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking! I like a lottttttttt of black pepper in my carbonara.
Plate in bowls and top with burrata, more pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, some lemon wedges or juice, some chili oil if you like a little spice, and call it a day!
I hope you enjoy the simplicity of this recipe as much as I did!
Quick & Easy Orzo Carbonara
An unconventional, delicious take on carbonara, using orzo, broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes.
- 1 Handful Sun Dried Tomatoes (Roughly Chopped)
- 1 Egg (Room Temp, Beaten)
- 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Bag (Cooked, Roughly Chopped)
- 2 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
- 1 Cup Orzo Pasta
- Burrata
- Basil (Freshly Cracked Black Pepper, Olive Oil for Garnish)
- Bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil. Add broccoli and cook until fork tender, about 5-6 minutes. Drain broccoli. Once cooled, roughly chop and set aside.
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Meanwhile, whisk together egg, garlic, parmesan, salt and black pepper. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the orzo until cooked through. Before draining, scoop out a cup full of pasta water.
- Immediately add the orzo to steel bowl. Add the pasta water and stir vigorously. Next add the egg + parm mixture and stir constantly. Add the roughly chopped broccoli, sun dried tomatoes and stir. Taste and season according to your liking.
- Plate orzo carbonara with burrata, basil, freshly cracked black pepper, olive oil and chili oil. Now grub!
** You could also use frozen, thawed broccoli, instead of fresh broccoli for this recipe.
** You could also use any type of pasta for this recipe.