If you know me, you know I love, love, LOVE pasta and cheese. Macaroni and cheese is my absolute favorite food and I could eat it every day without getting sick of it, but I still like to try making new recipes with my favorite ingredients (that would be the aforementioned pasta and cheese!). This creamy bacon and gruyere orzo is a quick and easy recipe that can be whipped up in about 20 minutes!
Orzo is a small pasta, a little bigger than rice, but not as big as elbow macaroni. I like to cook it in a similar way to how you cook arborio rice in a risotto. Instead of boiling orzo in salted water and draining it, you instead cook it slowly using warm broth to create a creamy sauce out of the starch from the pasta as you cook. Then you’ll add some bacon and cheese and this creamy dreamy recipe is complete!
Creamy Bacon and Gruyère Orzo Recipe
8 slices bacon – cooked and chopped
2 Tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves – minced
1-1/2 cup uncooked Orzo pasta
2-1/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup Gruyere cheese
4-5 basil leaves
I start this by getting my bacon ready. Pre-heat your oven to 400-degrees.
If you’ve never baked your bacon then you’re really over complicating your life! To make mine, I actually lay it flat on a metal rack which is placed on a foil-lined baking sheet. Less cleanup and the metal racks can just get thrown in the dishwasher!
Bake your bacon at 400-degrees for about 15-20 minutes until it’s just at the crispy point.
Once your bacon is cooked, let it cool then chop it into small pieces. Set aside.
Start the pasta by melting your butter on medium-high heat. Stir in your chopped garlic and cook for one minute.
Add your uncooked orzo and cook while stirring for about two minutes.
Add your chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and cover your pan.
Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender. You’ll still have some liquid leftover even after the pasta is cooked and that’s great! It will be a nice starchy liquid that serves as a sauce.
Next you’ll add your cheese, bacon and basil and stir until combined. If it’s a little thick, add a bit more chicken broth. And that is IT! You’re done!
We ate this as a quick lunch, but it would also be good with some chicken breasts and a little veggie side. Try this Grilled Basil Garlic Chicken from A Family Feast. And since your oven would already be pre-heated to 400-degrees, I recommend some Roasted Green Beans.
Creamy Bacon and Gruyere Orzo
August 23, 2020 Servings: 4 Prep: 20 min Cook: 20 min Total: 40 min Difficulty: Medium Print ThisBy: Courtney
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon - cooked and chopped
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 1-1/2 cup uncooked Orzo pasta
- 2-1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese
- 4-5 basil leaves
Directions
- Step 1 Pre-heat your oven to 400-degrees.
- Step 2 Place bacon on a foil-lined sheet pan and bake at 400-degrees for 20 minutes, until slightly crisp.
- Step 3 Once your bacon is cooked, let it cool then chop it into small pieces. Set aside.
- Step 4 Start the pasta by melting your butter on medium-high heat.
- Step 5 Stir in your chopped garlic and cook for one minute.
- Step 6 Add your uncooked orzo and cook while stirring for about two minutes.
- Step 7 Add your chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and cover your pan. You will have some liquid leftover in your pan and that’s great – it’s your sauce!
- Step 8 add your cheese, bacon, and basil and stir until combined. If it’s a little thick, add a bit more chicken broth.
