Orzo Risotto with Shrimp, Peas & Bacon
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Rice-shaped orzo is cooked like risotto in this easy, one-pot pasta dish.
In this easy one-pot recipe, rice-shaped orzo pasta is cooked like risotto, an Italian dish of rice slowly cooked in broth with other ingredients like meat, seafood, and vegetables. However, unlike traditional risotto, orzo “risotto” doesn’t require constant tending to and stirring – all of the broth is added at once and the pasta cooks almost unattended. My starting point for the recipe was a simple shrimp and orzo risotto from The Ultimate Meal Prep Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen, but I added crispy bacon, peas, and Creole seasoning to amp up the flavor and give the dish a little Southern flair.
What You’ll Need To Make Orzo Risotto with Shrimp, Peas & Bacon
Step-by-Step Instructions
Melt one tablespoon of the butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat and add the bacon.
Cook, stirring frequently, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion.
Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Do not brown.
Stir in the orzo and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in the broth, salt, pepper, and Cajun/Creole seasoning and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring once midway through, until the orzo is creamy and nearly tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir the shrimp and peas into the orzo.
Cover and cook over low heat until the shrimp are opaque throughout and the orzo is tender, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter, the lemon juice, and chives. Right before serving, stir in the crispy bacon.
Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, then spoon into bowls and serve.
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Orzo Risotto with Shrimp, Peas & Bacon
Rice-shaped orzo is cooked like risotto in this easy, one-pot pasta dish.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 5 slices (5 oz) bacon, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups orzo
- 4 cups chicken broth
- Heaping ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1¼ teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning, such as Emeril's Essence
- 2 pounds extra-large (21/25) shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 cup frozen green peas (no need to thaw)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Melt one tablespoon of the butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Do not brown. Stir in the orzo and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the broth, salt, pepper, and Cajun/Creole seasoning and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring once midway through, until the orzo is nearly tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir the shrimp and peas into the orzo (it will be quite creamy/brothy at this point; that's normal). Cover and cook over low heat until the shrimp are opaque throughout and the orzo is tender, about 5 minutes.
- Off the heat, stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter, the lemon juice, and chives. Right before serving, stir in the crispy bacon. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, then spoon into bowls and serve.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 639
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 49 g
- Sodium: 1,868 mg
- Cholesterol: 322 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Disappointed with this dish.
I made this for dinner last night and I am having the leftovers for lunch today! Excellent recipe. This is going into my regular rotation!
Hi Jenn!
Made this dish tonite and for some reason after the last 5minutes of cooking time for the added shrimp, the orzo was creamy and tender, but not all the shrimp were cooked through—and the mixture was quite watery; I simmered it covered for an additional 3-4 minutes and the shrimp were cooked, but the mixture still remained remained pretty “liquid-y”? Your photo looks pretty “well-absorbed.” Also, could you recommend a different seasoning profile that is less spicy than creole? Would herbs de Provence work here? Same amount? Also, would pancetta work in lieu of the bacon? And any suggestions for making the risotto less wet, without over-cooking the shrimp? Thanks so much; the flavors are great, but I would like to improve my texture😌.
Elise
Hi Elise, sorry to hear you had a bit of a problem getting this to cook evenly. I’m wondering if perhaps the heat on your stove was a little too low; next time I’d try increasing the heat to medium-low. You could also reduce the liquid just a bit. Additionally, I’ve read the different brands of orzo can behave slightly differently – I’ve had good luck with Barilla.
Yes, herbs de Provence would definitely work here (or any spice of your choosing, really). And the same amount would be fine. Last, pancetta would also work nicely in place of bacon. Hope that helps!
Husband said this was the best thing he has eaten in weeks.
Made as indicated using whole wheat orzo in a Dutch oven. Not sure why the liquid was not absorbed but I ended up with a very soupy version. Very flavorful though.
This is delicious!! The whole family loved it!
Another 5 star recipe!! I wasn’t sure about the combination of flavors but I’ve learned to trust the Chef….this one is sooo good.
I follow a lower fat diet so I modified the recipe a bit, I completely drained the bacon grease from the pot and wiped it out then added back in about 1/3 of a tablespoon of butter and 2/3 tablespoon of bacon grease. I didn’t add any additional butter at the end. The result was still beautifully creamy and full of flavor and much lower in fat. I’m going to keep this one in my regular rotation! It would also make an awesome side dish alongside a grilled steak which is how I plan to serve it next.
Thanks Jenn!
Just made this without the bacon and added celery and yellow pepper to the onion – it was easy, tasty and will be added to the rotation!
I divided the recipe in half for two/three portions. To do next time; absolutely no butter or salt is to be added as it is not needed. The bacon grease left over alone after cooking the bacon, will do an amazing job in cooking both onion and garlic. I’m not sure which brand of Orzo pasta you will use, but mine looked larger and off white in color, and that was even before it went into the pot, compared to the finished picture. After adding the broth-(1/2 cup less next time -too soupy)and Cajun seasoning, 10 minutes later the orzo darkened up more. Shrimp and peas next, definitely needs more than 5 minutes to cook as the temperature of the broth dropped considerably from its low simmer and 6 minutes later, peas were still a little hard. Next time I will use the petite ones. Should not have added the butter at the end, like I mentioned before, not necessary, the chive and lemon was a nice touch though. The carb/protein content were ok, the sodium levels were in the roof! Please check content, it is for one serving!
Hi Jenn,
I love your recipes!! I was just diagnosed with celiac disease, so am looking for a substitute for the orzo. Would arborio rice work, or would something else be better? thank you!
Hi Sarah, Unfortunately, this won’t work with risotto as it would require a different cooking method. You could give this a try with gluten-free orzo though. While it’s a pretty different recipe, you may want to give this risotto recipe a try. Hope that helps!
Dear Sarah, I would recommend that you go to celiac.org to view all for food you can Safely eat and more importantly, food to avoid!
Commercial Chicken Broth contains Brewer’s Yeast and the Sodium levels alone is another reason you should avoid it.
Hope you are managing after your new diagnosis.