Baked Spinach and Artichoke Orzo
This Baked Spinach and Artichoke Orzo is a riff off of a recipe in Deb Perelman's new cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Keepers! It's a gem!
Equipment
- Sauté Pan
- Microplane
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 scallions thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced into half-moons
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts in water drained and chopped
- 1 12 ounce bag frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Red-pepper flakes
- 8 ounces uncooked orzo
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- 4 ounces mozzarella shredded
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat with the oil and butter. Once melted, add the scallion whites, onion and garlic. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. Stir in the artichokes, spinach, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, many grinds of black pepper, plus red pepper flakes, to taste, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Stir to scrape up any stuck bits on the bottom. Stir in the orzo, scallion greens, and herbs, then half the mozzarella, and half the Parmesan.
- If your pan isn't oven-safe, transfer everything to a 2 quart baking dish. Pour the broth over the top, giving it a light stir to distribute it, and then add the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan on top. Cover tightly with foil (or with a tight fitting lid if you kept it in the pan), bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil (or lid) and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until the orzo on top is crisp and the orzo below the top layer is cooked through. Garnish with scallions. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe taken and slightly adapted from Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen Keepers cookbook.