Creamy orzo 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.
This creamy orzo 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.
The creamy sauce and orzo’s rice-like shape makes this dish reminiscent of risotto, but without all the stirring and patience required. 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. The best part is this creamy recipe has no cream in it! I use Greek yogurt to add a little protein and create a velvety texture with a slight tang. Such a simple add and it's so good.
I’ll be making this one pan wonder on repeat until summer is over. I’ll admit, though, that blistering the tomatoes in garlicky oil means you can get away with less than picture-perfect tomatoes. And the creamy, garlicky sauce is a sure hit for the whole family.
Table of Contents
Creamy Orzo Ingredients
This creamy orzo 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 tomatoes you can find.
- Salt and Pepper: I'm keeping the seasonings simple so the the other ingredients can really shine. Just a little Kosher salt and black pepper to enhance the other flavors in this recipe.
- Garlic: A healthy amount of minced garlic gives this pasta its deeply 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, creamy 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.
What is Orzo and What Does it Taste Like?
Orzo is a type of pasta that’s shaped like a long grain of rice. That’s right: Orzo is not rice! It’s often confused for a grain because of its small shape, but it is a dough that’s rolled, cut, and dried just like any other pasta.
Orzo has a mild, neutral taste just like pasta. Its small size gives it a velvety mouthfeel and springy texture. While rice is soft and slightly sticky, orzo maintains the firmness of an al dente pasta.
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.
- 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 ¼ to ½ 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).
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Creamy Orzo with Garlic, Parmesan, and Blistered Tomatoes
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
- ¼ cup to ½ 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.
This looks delicious. I’m having a dinner party tomorrow and wondered if it could be made a day earlier. Is this best eaten immediately or does it hold up as a “leftover?” Thanks!
Hi, Carolyn. If you're wanting to make this for a dinner party, I wouldn't recommend making it a day ahead. It really is at it's best served immediately after cooking.
What would measurements be for a single servings?
Hi, Tayler. Unfortunately, we don't have exact measurements available for a single serving of this recipe as it's not something we've tested before. You could easily halve the ingredients here for a smaller amount, though. You can store any leftovers in the fridge to enjoy for another meal later in the week.
I kinda made this but I kinda modified for what I had on hand so I had leftover orzo that I added sauted shallots, tomato seeded and chopped, mushrooms and chopped kale. Topped with Parm cheese at the table and got raves from everyone!!! Thank you Suzie for being such an inspiration!!
How can u warm this up later when there’s yogurt in it?
Hi, Kennedy. As long as you reheat at a low temp, it should be just fine.
Excellent. As an aside, can you use canned tomatoes like San Marzano? How long to bnake if you slice whole skinless tomatoes in half?
Hi, Paul. I think you could definitely used canned tomatoes here in a pinch. We've never tested it ourselves, though, so it's a bit hard to give advice on cooking time. If you give it a try, please stop back and share any thoughts. We'd love to know if this works well!
I altered mine a bit because i wanted to add a protein. I used Italian seasoned ground turkey- cooked it separate along with chopped shallots, then i added it to the orzo before adding the yogurt. I also added Calabrian chili paste! SO good! Passed it along to friends.
Thanks for sharing that, Cher! What a great addition.
I found the liquid measurement to be too much as I ended up with a bowl of soup in stead of pasta. Very disappointed. There could be more instruction around liquid as some may not have experience with risotto.
WOW so good!!!! Loved it!
Oh my goodness this is so good! Did some variations with what I had on hand - added chopped bell pepper in with the tomatoes, used sour cream instead of yogurt, and sprinkled on dried herbes de provence instead of parsley. Tasty and easy 🙂
This was my second time making this dish and it absolutely delicious! I use chickpea orzo for extra protein. For some reason this time I made the dish, the yogurt did not mix into the sauce and instead kind of curdled. This did not happen to me the first time and I mixed it with the warm broth each time. Besides that the dish is so easy, quick, and tasty!
I used risotto instead of orzo because that is what I had. I added a bit more broth at the end to ensure the risotto cooked well. I also added peas for more green and substance. And used fresh chopped basil rather than parsley. Yum!
Thanks for sharing that adaptation, Patrick! Sounds delicious!
Not only is this recipe incredibly delicious but it was also incredibly easy to put together. It was so creamy & looked like something served at an Italian restaurant. I’m already looking forward my leftovers.