Cooking orzo using the risotto method—slowly adding liquid as you stir over the heat—creates the same starchy, creamy consistency in a fraction of the time. Here you’ll bring vibrancy to the cozy dish with a duo of spring peas and a swirl of store-bought pesto to finish. If you feel like going above and beyond, you can absolutely make the pesto yourself, but if you do go the purchased route, opt for the best quality you can find (try the refrigerated section).
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What you’ll need
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Paring Knife
$10 At Amazon
Glass Measuring Cup
$26 At Amazon
Microplane
$18 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
40 minutes
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
2
2
3
2
1
1
6
½
1
4
3
½
Preparation
Step 1
Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Cook 2 shallots, finely chopped, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and cook, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Step 2
Add 1 lb. orzo and cook, stirring often, until toasted and golden in spots, about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup dry white wine and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Season with lots of freshly ground pepper; cook, stirring often, until liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes.
Step 3
Cook orzo, adding 5 cups water a cupful at a time, stirring often and waiting until absorbed before adding more, until almost tender, about 15 minutes total. Add 6 oz. sugar snap peas, strings removed, thinly sliced, ½ cup frozen peas, thawed, and another ½ cup water; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are crisp-tender and orzo is cooked through, 2–3 minutes. (Orzotto will continue to thicken as it cools.) Remove from heat, add 1 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about ½ cup), 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, and 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, and stir until combined and melted. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Step 4
Divide orzotto among shallow bowls and swirl a little of ½ cup store-bought pesto into each; sprinkle with more pepper.
Leave a Review
Reviews (11)
Back to TopFun to make, but like someone else said - a bit bland and stodgy. I have leftovers and will try the caper suggestion to jazz it up.
KVE
Oslo, Norway
6/17/2023
I have not made this, but it looks delicious especially with asparagus. I do wish Bon Appetit would include nutritional value with their recipes. My husband has to go very low on sodium.
Susan W,
Redmond, WA
6/14/2023
A great one-pot dinner, with plenty of leftovers for lunch! Like others, I used asparagus and frozen peas-- I was out of snap peas, so thinly sliced the asparagus stalks and added the tips whole. I used some extra lemon juice at the end, and just a dollop of pesto to finish (a little goes a long way). Complete on its own, but would also be nice with salmon.
Anonymous
Richmond, VA
6/12/2023
i thought this was okay by itself - a little bland tbh! i added asparagus which was nice, and i also added CAPER BRINE which really elevated it! highly recommend
Anna Schierenbeck
6/10/2023
Like others, I made this with asparagus. It was great. Super tasty, even though I "forgot" the pesto for the first round. All in all, with prep factored in, it was a more time consuming recipe than I anticipated but well worth the effort.
Joe Z
6/1/2023
This one came out like mush maybe because we accidentally turned the heat down too much during the pasta toasting. The pesto kind of overpowered the flavor of the dish which kind of made the whole process of concocting the initial orzo creamie seem obsolete. The same effect could be achieved with regular boiled pasta?
Sarah
Florida
5/31/2023
Enjoyed this recipe! I had trouble finding sugar snap peas in my area. It turned out great using asparagus as a substitute
Nick
Denver, CO
5/31/2023