One-Pot Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Orzo

Simple, quick, but so delicious. Dinner is already ready.

Tomatoes are hit or miss with me. Sun-dried tomatoes are always approved, though, and they pair so well with goat cheese. Orzo pasta is perfect for dinners that are so decadent that you wouldn't believe they were made in 20 minutes. Altogether, this creamy, tangy one-pot pasta will become one of your weeknight staples.

You can make this as a side dish, but I love to brown uncased Trader Joe's chicken Italian sausage in the pot before cooking. I remove it before I follow the steps below and toss it back in with the goat cheese. You can apply the same steps to any sausage or bite-sized protein.

ONE-POT ORZO WITH GOAT CHEESE AND SUNDRIED TOMATOES

INGREDIENTS

I'm a college student, so I'm usually cooking for one! Here are the ingredients for one serving, but you can easily scale it.

• a drizzle of olive oil

• 1-2 teaspoons of sun-dried tomato oil

• half of a medium onion or 1 small shallot

• 1 clove of minced garlic

• 2 tablespoons of chopped sundried tomatoes (about 3 whole)

• 1/2 a teaspoon of Calabrian chilis (optional)

• 1/2 a cup of dried orzo pasta

• 1-1/4 cup of liquid (water, chicken stock, broth, bullion)

• seasonings of choice

• 1oz of goat cheese

DIRECTIONS (VIDEO BELOW)

1. Dice the onion, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Meanwhile, heat olive oil and sun-dried tomato oil on medium heat.

2. Sauté onions for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

3. Add in dried orzo and Calabrian chilis (optional) and toast for 1 minute.

4. Pour in your liquid of choice. Start with 1 cup (multiplied by your number of servings) Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Add in your seasonings of choice. I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil and dried oregano.

5. Bring the pot to a boil. Cover and reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer for 11-13 minutes while stirring regularly. Add extra liquid if the pasta becomes too dry.

6. Once the orzo is fully cooked, stir in goat cheese.

This recipe is the perfect side dish. It's great with crispy chicken cutlets. Or, you could grill chicken strips or Italian sausage in the pot before you start cooking and mix it back in with the goat cheese.