This Mushroom Orzo with Spinach is serious comfort food! It's a creamy and decadent dish made with short-grain orzo pasta, mushrooms, spinach, broth, parmesan cheese, and Greek yogurt added at the end. And it comes together in just one pan! It's a perfect main dish when you want something satisfying and creamy, but on the healthier side.
As a dietitian, I am on a mission to help you make healthy recipes using simple ingredients and this Mushroom Orzo Recipe is just that! It uses a handful of pantry staples plus a few fresh ingredients to add to your grocery list. It's my favorite mushrooms recipe to make when I don't know what to cook and need something that I know will turn out delicious!
A one-pot orzo is a great recipe for busy weeknights. The small pasta shape of orzo helps it absorb all the flavors from the mushrooms, spinach, parmesan, and lemon.
Serve it with your favorite protein as a main course. I suggest serving it with Sage Chicken Meatballs or GF turkey meatballs. It's also a delicious way to impress your friends at your next dinner party!
If you're looking for more orzo recipes, try my Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup or Tuscan Chicken Orzo Bake with Cherry Tomatoes next!
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Key Ingredients and Substitutions
This Mushroom Orzo uses simple ingredients. Below are some ingredient notes. Check the recipe card for exact ingredient measurements.Ingredients
- Orzo Pasta - orzo is a form of short-cut pasta that looks similar to rice. Because of it's small size, it cooks in less time than most pastas making it a great shape for weeknight pasta dishes. Orzo is not gluten-free, but you can find gluten-free orzo pasta made from things like chickpeas or lentils at the store.
- Mushrooms - there are so many different kinds of mushrooms! I use baby bella mushrooms for this mushroom orzo. But you can use portobello mushrooms, cremini mushrooms or even a mix of mushrooms.
- Spinach - spinach adds more nutrients and flavor! It provides dietary fiber for a healthy gut, vitamin K, and antioxidants. I use baby spinach for this recipe. You can use fresh spinach or frozen. If using frozen, add it a couple of minutes before the recipe calls for to let it thaw and heat.
- Yellow Onion & Garlic - for more flavor, add yellow onion or shallots and a few cloves of garlic. You can use onion powder and garlic powder instead if it's what you have available.
- Fresh Herbs - I use fresh thyme for this recipe. You could use fresh rosemary, sage, or basil instead if you prefer!
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - a drizzle of olive oil to start the cooking process.
- Chicken Broth - we simmer the orzo mixture in chicken broth to add more flavor. You can replace the chicken broth with chicken stock, vegetable broth or vegetable stock.
- Parmesan Cheese - grated parmesan cheese helps to make this pasta creamy. If you can, get a block of parmesan and grate it yourself. It makes such a big difference in the flavor!
- Greek Yogurt - Greek yogurt replaces heavy cream or whole fat coconut milk that are often found in creamy risotto type of dishes. Greek yogurt still makes it creamy, but it doesn't add as many calories and saturated fats as heavy cream. You can certainly use heavy cream if you prefer! Other substitutions would be sour cream or cream cheese. You can even leave it out altogether - it still tastes great.
- Lemon - fresh lemon juice brightens up the recipe at the end and also provides some vitamin C. If you want to take it up a notch, add lemon zest right before serving!
- Salt & Black Pepper - to tie everything together.
How to Make Mushroom Orzo with Spinach
Below are the instructions for how to make this recipe with some visuals that I hope are helpful! Don't forget to check out the recipe card at the bottom for the full instructions.
- Step 1 - Heat a dutch oven or other large pan with a lid on medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Once the oil is heated, add the diced onion and saute onion for 3-4 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and pepper. Don't add salt yet. Cook 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms are sweating and softened. Now add the salt.
- Step 2 - Add orzo and broth, bring to simmer. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes on medium to medium-low heat until orzo is al dente, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Give it a taste and add more salt as needed. The cooking time will vary a bit based on your stovetop and type of pan. If it looks too dry, add a quarter cup more broth at a time up half a cup.
- Step 3 - Turn off the heat and add spinach, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine until the spinach is wilted.
- Step 4 - Add the Greek yogurt, stirring gently until it's dissolved into the pasta.
Hint: when making this mushroom orzo, be sure to stir it every couple of minutes to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan!
Video of How to Make Mushroom Orzo
Here's a video of how to make this recipe that I hope is helpful!
Dietitian Tip
Most creamy pasta recipes use heavy cream. And while heavy cream has a place in my kitchen, in this recipe I like to replace it with Greek yogurt which is lower in saturated fats and provides protein and calcium. You still get a super creamy end result because the starch from the pasta releases while being simmered in the broth. And as a bonus, you get extra nutrients with the Greek yogurt!
Variations
One of the great things about making your own pasta recipes is you can customize them to your liking. Below are some suggestions for variations of this orzo dish, but feel free to get creative and put your spin on it.
- Deluxe - sun-dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers make great additions if you want even more flavor.
- Spicy - add red pepper flakes if you want some spice!
- Tomato - if you love a tomato-based sauce, feel free to add a cup of your favorite marinara sauce.
Storage for Mushroom Orzo
- Refrigerator - once the pasta has cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on low heat on the stovetop. You may need to add a bit more liquid when reheating to get it back to the right consistency.
Expert Tips
- Chop your mushrooms into relatively similar sized pieces to ensure they cook evenly.
- If the orzo and cooked mushrooms are sticking to the bottom of your pan, turn down the heat a bit to medium-low and add an extra splash of liquid, either broth or water.
- If it looks like there's too much liquid, don't worry! It will continue to absorb as the pasta sits.
- If it looks too dry, add another splash of broth or a bit of water.
FAQ
While healthy means something different to everyone, this is a nutrient-rich option. The mushrooms and spinach contain antioxidants and several vitamins and minerals. The orzo provides carbohydrates which are important for energy levels. And Greek yogurt and Parmesan Cheese provide calcium and protein.
You can use coconut milk, half & half, or sour cream in place of the Greek yogurt.
Related
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I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I would love to hear from you! If you made this recipe, please leave me a review below or tag me in a photo or story on Instagram. Your reviews help support me and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love. 🙂 IG: @mallorythedietitian
📖 Recipe
Creamy Mushroom Orzo with Spinach (One Pot Pasta)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion, chopped or 1 small yellow onion
- ½ lb mushrooms I use baby bellas (8 oz, about 2 cups chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste (I use ¼-½ tsp)
- 1 cup orzo pasta dry
- 2-2.5 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 cups spinach
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ½ a large lemon or 1 small lemon
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Heat a dutch oven or other large pan with a lid on medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Once the oil is heated, add the diced onion and saute onion for 3-4 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and pepper. Don't add salt yet. Cook 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms are sweating and softened. Now add the salt.
- Add orzo and broth, bring to simmer. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes on medium to medium-low heat until orzo is al dente, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Give it a taste and add more salt as needed. The cooking time will vary a bit based on your stovetop and type of pan. If it looks too dry, add a quarter cup more broth at a time up half a cup.
- Turn off the heat and add spinach, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine until the spinach is wilted.
- Add the Greek yogurt, stirring gently until it's dissolved into the pasta.
Video
Notes
- Chop your mushrooms into relatively similar sized pieces to ensure they cook evenly.
- If the orzo and cooked mushrooms are sticking to the bottom of your pan, turn down the heat a bit to medium-low and add an extra splash of liquid, either broth or water.
- If it looks like there's too much liquid, don't worry! It will continue to absorb as the pasta sits.
- If it looks too dry, add another splash of broth or a bit of water.
Annie
Made this recipe last week and it was wonderful 💜 instead of bringing Mac n Cheese to our Thanksgiving family meal - I am bringing this dish instead. Delish 🦃
Mallory
Hi Annie, Thank you so much for taking time to leave a review!😊 It means so much to me that you enjoyed the recipe and will be bringing it to Thanksgiving with your family!! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving! -Mallory