This creamy orzo pasta is a kind of cozy recipes you’ll return to while you’re craving a straightforward, creamy pasta dish that’ll be prepared in beneath an hour. The true fantastic thing about this recipe is that we mix cottage cheese with garlicky sautéed tomatoes to make a creamy sauce that’s out-of-this-world-DELICIOUS.

Whether or not you want a brand new recipe for busy weeknights or particular events or are simply plain hungry, this orzo pasta is certain to fulfill. What makes this orzo pasta recipe distinctive? It’s a veggie-forward pasta recipe made with bursting cherry tomatoes and zucchini. Oh, and we creamed it with whipped cottage cheese for further protein!

The complete group significantly liked this pasta a lot. We had enjoyable filming the video too and all went again for seconds it’s so scrumptious.

What’s In Creamy Orzo Pasta

• Cherry tomatoes: these candy, juicy tomatoes add a burst of taste and colour to the dish. They pair completely with the creamy sauce and add a pleasant texture.
• Cottage cheese: when blended with garlic and tomatoes, it creates a wealthy, creamy marinara sauce with out the added energy from heavy cream.
• Tomato paste: this will get instantly combined with the orzo, so that you’ll wish to make certain it’s evenly distributed. It provides a deeper tomato taste and helps thicken the sauce.
• Orzo pasta: this small rice-shaped pasta is ideal for absorbing all of the scrumptious flavors within the dish. 
• Zucchini: we love the way in which chunks of zucchini add a little bit of crunch and recent taste to the creamy pasta.
• Recent basil: this herb offers the recipe its signature Italian style. We advocate utilizing recent basil. 

Variations and Substitutions

This tomato orzo recipe is sort of a clean canvas you can customise to your liking. 

• Swap the cheese: For example, in the event you’d relatively use cream cheese or ricotta cheese as a substitute of cottage cheese, go for it! Simply be aware that the feel and taste will barely differ. You may also add or swap greens like bell peppers, spinach, or mushrooms for further taste. 
• Make it vegetarian: If you wish to make this dish vegetarian, merely use vegetable broth as a substitute of rooster broth. Quite the opposite, if you wish to add some protein, strive including cooked rooster or shrimp to the dish to make it a whole entree. 
• Herb it up: Lastly, in the event you’re not a fan of basil, be happy to experiment with different herbs like rosemary or thyme. You might additionally add them along with basil for a extra herb-forward dish. Something is truthful sport, actually!

Suggestions for Creamy Orzo Pasta 

• To make this recipe even faster, you should utilize pre-cooked orzo. Simply make sure you cut back the cooking time accordingly.
• Don’t skip the step of mixing the cottage cheese, garlic, and tomatoes. That is what offers the dish its creamy texture.
• If you mix in step #3, be certain you mix the sauce till it’s gentle and nearly frothy. That may make sure that it doesn’t curdle.  

Storage + Freezer Instructions

Retailer any leftover creamy orzo pasta in an hermetic container and retailer it within the fridge for as much as 3 days.

We don’t advocate freezing this recipe, as it’s cream-based and gained’t preserve its identical texture or taste. 

Serving Strategies

This creamy orzo pasta with blended cottage cheese would pair properly with meat dishes like our Seared Beef Tenderloin Roast, Solid Iron Steak, or Straightforward Complete Roasted Rooster.

To stability out the savory flavors, add this Apple Burrata Salad or Arugula Salad on the facet.

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