Creamy orzo risotto with garlic, parmesan, and no cream involved! This easy weeknight dinner leans on protein-rich Greek yogurt for a luxurious velvety quality and nice tang. Plus, this one-pan pasta is on your table in 30 minutes or less.
My “Risotto” Shortcut Secret: Creamy Orzo Risotto
If you’ve followed my cooking for a time, you know I have a deep respect for the risottatura method—the traditional Italian risotto technique of toasted grains and patient stirring that make risotto so comforting. But as a busy mom and cook, I also know that on a Tuesday night, we need that velvet-smooth texture of creamy risotto but without the 45-minute arm workout. This Creamy Tomato Orzo is my “cheat code.”
The creamy sauce and orzo’s rice-like shape makes this dish reminiscent of risotto, but without the big time commitment. Though I love to make mushroom or farro risotto when I have some time to spare, this dinner creates the same creamy goodness in half the time.
I was inspired by the end of tomato season. As soon as August hits, it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to enjoy the last juicy tomatoes of summer! To take full advantage, I made a fresh tomato sauce with sweet cherry tomatoes, garlic, and parmesan cheese. Orzo, cooked right in the sauce, soaks up all those delicious summery flavors. I’ll be making this one pan wonder on repeat until summer is over, and honestly, grape tomatoes are pretty good year round so we don’t have to save it for summer!
Why I Love This Creamy Orzo Risotto
- Creamy Orzo is a one-pot wonder! Fewer dishes are a weeknight dinner win!
- It tastes and looks creamy but I don’t use cream! I use Greek yogurt for extra protein, healthy probiotics and a little tang!
- Only 9 ingredients and 2 of them are salt and pepper! It doesn’t get much easier than that for a busy cook.
Ingredients for the Creamiest Orzo
This orzo risotto recipe uses a handful of easy-to-find ingredients to make a flavorful, comforting weeknight dinner. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Extra virgin olive oil: The tomatoes stew in garlic and olive oil to create a rich, luxurious sauce. Any of the oils from our shop are delicious with this recipe, or use a high quality extra virgin olive oil of your choosing.
- Cherry tomatoes: Use the juiciest, ripest cherry or grape tomatoes you can find.
- Salt and Pepper: I’m keeping the seasonings simple so the the other ingredients can really shine.
- Garlic: A healthy amount of minced garlic gives this pasta its deep savory flavor. Check out our guide on how to mince garlic for tips.
- Orzo: A short pasta that’s shaped like rice–you can learn more in our guide: All About Orzo. If you must substitute, use a short variety like small macaroni or ditalini.
- Greek yogurt: Makes a creamy, velvety sauce with an added layer of tangy complexity.
- Parmesan: Brings an irresistible umami flavor. You can substitute with Pecorino Romano if you’d like, it will be a bit tangier and saltier.
- Parsley: A final sprinkle of chopped parsley adds freshness and a pop of color.
How to Make Creamy Orzo
Creamy orzo doesn’t ask for much—the hardest part is mincing the garlic—see my tips for the easy way! From there, this pantry pasta recipe comes together in minutes. Here’s how you make it:
- Blister the cherry tomatoes. In a medium saucepan, heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add 5 cups of whole cherry tomatoes and 4 minced garlic cloves. Season with a big pinch of kosher salt and black pepper and stir to combine, coating the tomatoes in the garlicky oil. Cover the pan until the tomatoes are softened, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Reduce the tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to mash the softened tomatoes, pushing against the side of the pan until they burst. Let the mashed tomatoes cook, uncovered, until they have softened and let out a lot of juice, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Cook the orzo. Stir in 2 cups of orzo. Cover everything with water or broth by about 1-inch. Add a big pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Let the pasta and tomatoes cook over medium heat (uncovered), stirring occasionally to prevent scorching at the bottom.
- Temper the yogurt. Before the orzo has absorbed the liquid, spoon some of the warm tomato-ey broth into a large measuring cup. Add the yogurt and whisk to combine, bringing the yogurt to room temperature. (This prevents the cold yogurt from curdling. You can also think ahead and simply bring the yogurt to room temperature before stirring it into the pasta, as you would with Turkish Manti.
- Combine. When the pasta is tender and has absorbed most of the juice, about 10 minutes, turn the heat off. Add the warmed yogurt and stir to combine.
- Finish and serve. Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of grated parmesan and 1 cup of chopped parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking and serve.
What to Serve with Creamy Orzo
In the summertime, I like to really lean-in to juicy tomato season and serve this creamy orzo with a fresh tomato salad. Marinated cherry tomato salad, tomato feta salad, and heirloom tomato salad with dukkah all come to mind.
During the months when tomatoes aren’t at their prime, embrace the cheesy parmesan umami flavor. Take advantage of your free oven with roasted fennel with Parmigiano cheese, or serve with a crisp and refreshing lemon and parmesan lettuce salad or maroulosalata (Greek lettuce salad).
I have served it both as a vegetarian main dish and a side dish to heartier recipes like Whole Roasted Chicken or Stuffed Salmon.
Ingredients
- 5 cups cherry tomatoes (about 1.5 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- 2 cups dry orzo
- Water or broth (3-4 cups)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup grated parmesan or pecorino Romano, or more to your liking
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Blister the cherry tomatoes. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the tomatoes (whole) and garlic and season with a big pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Stir to combine, then cover the pan until the tomatoes are softened, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Stew the tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to mash the softened tomatoes. Let them cook, uncovered, until they have softened and let out a lot of juice, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Cook the orzo. Add the orzo and cover with water or broth by about 1 inch. Add a big pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Let the pasta and tomatoes cook over medium heat (uncovered), stirring occasionally to prevent it from scorching at the bottom.
- Temper the yogurt. Before the orzo has absorbed the liquid, spoon some of the warm tomato-ey broth into a large measuring cup. Add the yogurt and whisk to combine, bringing the yogurt to room temperature.
- Combine. When the pasta is tender and has absorbed most of the juice, about 10 minutes, turn the heat off. Add the warmed yogurt and stir to combine.
- Finish and serve. Stir in the cheese and fresh parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking and serve.
Video
Notes
- Check out our guide on how to mince garlic for all my tips and tricks.
- Make sure to whisk the yogurt and warm broth well before combining it with the hot pasta. If the yogurt is still cold from the fridge it may curdle.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
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I made this for the first time today,and it turned out more of a orzo soup. Not sure whether I used too much stock or stopped before the orzo absorbed enough of the juice. Taste is good, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to eat it with a spoon🙈
Sounds and looks delicious, but for Orzo do you mean Barley? I am Italian and for us Orzo is a cereal and not a pasta. In any case I like the recipe and I am going to try it. It looks very yummy. Wishing you a nice day Carla
Hi, Carla. For us here in the states, Orzo is a small, rice-shaped pasta (you can click here for an example).