Creamy Lemon Orzo with Peas and Shrimp

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Photo: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine
Yield
Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)
By Deb Wise
December 2016
RECIPE BY Cooking Light

We apply the risotto cooking method to pasta instead of rice for an easy, comforting main dish. It also saves time--just 15 minutes compared to the 20 to 30 minutes required for risotto. We recommend serving this main with Caramelized Baby Carrots.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup uncooked orzo
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine
  • 3 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson), divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup frozen green peas
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ounce 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Nutritional Information

  • Calories 421
  • Fat 7.2g
  • Satfat 1.9g
  • Monofat 2.8g
  • Polyfat 0.6g
  • Protein 30g
  • Carbohydrate 57g
  • Fiber 5g
  • Cholesterol 148mg
  • Iron 3mg
  • Sodium 592mg
  • Calcium 115mg
  • Sugars 8g
  • Est. added sugars 0g

How to Make It

Step 1

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add onion, thyme, and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender and translucent, stirring frequently. Add orzo; cook 2 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring to coat. Add wine; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates.

Step 2

Add 2 cups stock and salt to pan; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups stock, peas, rind, and shrimp; cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are done. Remove pan from heat; stir in juice, pepper, and cream cheese. Divide shrimp mixture evenly among 4 shallow bowls; sprinkle with chives.

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Ratings & Reviews

Okay...NOT a quick recipe

mandofan
February 25, 2017
This appears to be listed as a quick recipe by Cooking Light, which only underscores how much easier it must be to cook in the test kitchen.  Let’s look at two things - peeling and deveining a pound of medium shrimp and stripping off enough tiny little thyme leaves from their delicate stalks in order to get 2 TBPSPs.  Trust me, that lone is going to be over half an hour.  Throw in prepping a simple side and clean up and this is NOT a quick dish.  Give yourself a couple of hours.  So, is it worth it?  Ehhh...it’s not bad, but it’s nothing special.  Honestly, it’s more like a soup, or an orzo and shrimp stew, and I don’t think I’d call it creamy.  In any event, there are better dishes that take the same amount of time or less, so I won’t be making it again.