While I know there are a lot of people who subscribe to the motto “bacon makes everything better”, in Italy, one doesn’t see bacon at the grocery store or at the butcher shop. Italians don’t use bacon but pancetta. Pancetta is normally sold cubed or sliced and is cured, unlike bacon that is smoked and cured. You learn something new every day!
Orzo, although it looks like rice, is really a pasta. Most people use it in soups (like the Quick Chicken Orzo Vegetable soup), but it can be a great side dish. Adding asparagus and cheese not only provides veggies, but also adds another layer of deliciousness!
I love this side dish. It is super simple to make and it is pretty quick to pull together. Kids love it and it’s a good student-friendly recipe. The leftovers (if any) are great the next day.
This is the first full back-to-school week. I know that there are a lot of parents who are still a little shell-shocked. This is an easy time-saving dish that is a crowd favourite, especially on a school night.
Prep time: 5 minutes; Cook time: 15 -20 minutes; Serves: 6 – 8
What you need:
- 2 cups orzo
- 1 1/2 lb (roughly – I used one bunch) asparagus, chopped into 1/2″ pieces
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 250 g cubed pancetta (if the pack is only 200 g, that is fine also)
- 3/4 cup fresh finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 lemon, juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
What you do:
- In a large 5L Dutch oven, boil your water
- While the water is boiling, in a frying pan, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and pancetta
- Cook the pancetta until crispy, about 10 minutes
- Add your orzo to the boiling water
- Once the water returns to a boil, cook 4 minutes
- Add the chopped asparagus, cook another 2-3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp tender
- Drain the orzo/asparagus – reserve 1 cup of cooking water
- Add the orzo/asparagus back to the Dutch oven, remove from heat
- Add the pancetta and oil to orzo
- Stir
- Add lemon juice
- Stir
- Add the grated cheese
- Stir
- Add pasta water (as needed – I did not need any pasta water)
- Stir
- Add pepper to taste. If you want, add salt, but taste it first, and go easy with the salt as the cheese and pancetta will give lots of salt to this dish
- Serve
- Enjoy!
