Marry Me Chickpeas and Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup roughly-chopped fresh basil leaves
- fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Sauté the aromatics
- 2
Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3 min - 3
Simmer
- 4
Add the chickpeas, vegetable broth, orzo, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low, or whatever temperature is needed to maintain a low simmer. Then continue simmering, stirring frequently, until the orzo is just shy of al dente.
- 5
Add the remaining ingredients
- 6
Add heavy cream, spinach, Parmesan, basil and stir to combine. Continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the spinach is wilted and the orzo is al dente.
2 min - 7
Season
- 8
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- 9
Serve. Serve warm, garnished with an additional twist of black pepper, and enjoy!
