Cheesy Creamy Orzo
One of my mom’s favorite stories about me is this: one Saturday morning, when I was about three years old, she 
awoke to strange sounds at about 7 o’clock. She tiptoed downstairs, only to find me sitting, still in my nightgown (hair freakishly tousled), in front of the television, watching Julia Child and eating bleu cheese straight out of its packaging.
This explains a great deal about me, actually.
Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you that I don’t often do things the way you’re “supposed” to do them. I like to be different. The way I cook and eat is no exception. I love a little adventure. It’s something that’s brought a lot of fun and enjoyment to my life, so, when I had kids, I wanted to expose them to the same types of experiences.
So often I hear people say things like, “You can’t give that to a kid!” My general response is, “Why on Earth not?” Give a kid nothing but bland, cookie-cutter foods, and that’s all he’s ever going to want. If you give a kid nothing but one flavor, don’t be surprised when he complains if you ever try to serve something new for dinner. Is there anything wrong with having plain cheese pizza or chicken nuggets? No. But don’t let that be all they know. To my mind, the more interesting things to which our kids are exposed, the better off they (and you) will be.
One of my favorite ways to get new tastes and flavors in my kids’ diets is by taking a mainstay kid dish and putting a new twist on it. You’d be surprised at how receptive they are to the “new” version. So, instead of mac n’ cheese (not that there’s anything wrong with that), why not make … Cheesy Orzo? Mmmm.
Cheesy, Creamy Orzo
Ingredients
1 pound Orzo
2 tablespoons olive oil (you don’t need extra-virgin for this)
1 shallot, minced
1 clove chopped garlic
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes (well-drained)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt & freshly-ground pepper, to taste
Preparation
In a large saucepan filled with boiling, salted water, cook the Orzo according to the package directions (usually 8 minutes or so). Drain.
While the Orzo is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Add the chopped shallots and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Briefly remove the skillet from the heat, add the tomatoes (tomatoes can REALLY spatter when you add them to a hot, hot pan) and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes are nice and tender. Stir in the cream, peas and cooked Orzo. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, until each bit is cheesy, creamy goodness. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
This is a delicious, easy, nutritious meal that’ll expose your kids (and you) to new flavors and textures. Another bonus is that it’s QUICK, which makes it the ideal choice for a school night.
Whip up a batch tonight. I promise your kids will be begging for more (I know mine always do).
When she’s not chatting about creamy goodness on Prime Cuts, Melissa DelGaudio is the principal over at Honeybee Consulting. Visit her there, or catch her over on Twitter, where she’s often very, very cheesy.
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