We’ve all heard of a rice pilaf, right? Well, did you know that you can use the same method with certain pastas? Yep and it brings out all sorts of beautiful flavor notes that you are going to love.
Let’s get started…
What kind of pastas can you use for this pilaf? The most common pastas would be orzo or rosmarino, which is just a slightly larger orzo. If you have access to them, you could also use filini, risoni, risi, puntine or grattini. Any tiny, rice like pasta will work.
In addition to 1 cup of dried pasta, you will need 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 cloves of finely minced garlic, 2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable), 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and 2/3 cup of finely shredded parmesan.
Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted, add 1 cup of dried pasta and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the pasta to lightly toast.
See how some of the orzo is golden brown, this is exactly what you are looking for. Don’t let the pasta burn, but let it get some color.
Once about half of the pasta looks lightly golden, add 2 cloves of finely minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds. Add 2 cups of stock and increase the heat to medium high until the stock is simmering.
Simmer the rice for the time suggested on the packaging (orzo usually takes 8-10 minutes). By the time the pasta is tender, you should have just a little extra stock that was not absorbed. To this, add 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Allow this to simmer and reduce for just a few minutes and then remove the saucepan from the heat.
Once the saucepan is off of the burner, stir in 2/3 cup of finely shredded parmesan and get ready to enjoy something delicious…
This pasta pilaf is so rich and creamy with salty, citrusy flavors that pair well with so many dishes. The pasta develops such a beautifully toasted flavor during that initial cook in the butter, so don’t skip that step. It’s definitely worth the extra few minutes.
I love pairing this creamy lemon parmesan pasta pilaf with some salmon or grilled chicken, but it pairs well with just about anything!
Buon appetito!
Creamy Lemon Parmesan Pasta Pilaf
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 cup of dried orzo (or a similar rice shaped pasta)
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest
- 2/3 cup of parmesan, finely shredded
Instructions
- Place a skillet or saucepan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter
- Once the butter has melted, add 1 cup of dried orzo and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring consistently
- Add 2 finely minced cloves of garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly
- Add 2 cups of stock and bring the mixture to a simmer
- Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until tender
- Stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and let the mixture simmer for about 2 minutes to slightly reduce
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 2/3 cup of finely shredded parmesan
- Enjoy immediately
