Reviewed: Nov. 19, 2002

Wow! Doggie-Daddy asked, "Are we out of food?" and I replied, "Why no!" and quickly searched for a recipe involving orzo et voila! -- this recipe certainly did the trick. It's a keeper. While cooking the smell is wonderful: like hashbrowns (potato is in the mix) and I do declare that Parmesan may be omitted. . . I tasted it before pouring on the cheese and it can really be eaten either way. Also added thai pepper for a touch of heat and didn't have carrots so yes! it's a good base to go on -- orzo, potatoes, onions, garlic, butter are the musts for this taste I think. Only thing though, it took me longer than 30 mins. (the simmering alone is 12 mins.) and there's minced, dicing, peeling involved so I'd say it generally would take about an hour instead... or am I just a turtle. Eat it up dudes! Thanks.

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23 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

POP*SIKA

Reviewed: Feb. 2, 2004

ehhhh...Didn't do much for me. Was pretty bland, I forgot to top with Parmesean cheese, but I don't think it would have made much of a difference. WIth some tweeking, this has the potential to be an awesome recipie, but for now, blah!

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3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

laurabora

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Farmingville, New York, USA

Living In: Geneseo, New York, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 14, 2004

This is pretty good, definitely a good starting point. I found it a bit bland, personally, but my family loved it. (Usually they say things _I_ like are bland :-p) Adding extra salt, stirring in some crunchy veggies near the end, or adding something spicy such as cayenne could really brighten this dish up.

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4 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

alarose

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Reviewed: Mar. 29, 2005

This makes a nice change to the regular rice/noodle/mashed potato side dish. I used 2 cups of water, and topped it up with tomato juice - for flavor and a little color - when it needed more fluid. I think this would make a good basis for a stew or gumbo - you could add a couple cans of crushed tomatoes, some sliced kielbasa etc etc. Thanks, Betina!

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2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Caroline C

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Denver, Colorado, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 14, 2006

I make this quite often. I love it. I do add extra garlic but, that's it. The Italian seasonings and parmesan are a perfect blen. It's a great side to almost anything. Company is always impressed. Thanks for posting!

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3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Gourmet Girlfriend

Cooking Level: Professional

Home Town: San Diego, California, USA

Reviewed: Jun. 18, 2006

this turned out totally different than what I expected,but it tasted really good.The cooking time is long but worth it. The parmesan cheese was great as a topping. I will make this again.

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1 user found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Kristen

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Toledo, Ohio, USA

Living In: Cary, North Carolina, USA

Reviewed: Aug. 28, 2006

I had to add quite a bit of spices and extra garlic but it was a good start to a recipe. I also added the water and boullion with the potatoes as soon as the orzo and garlic was done cooking. Otherwise I think it would have taken longer to cook the potatoes.

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5 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

DELANIA

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Toledo, Ohio, USA

Living In: Cocoa, Florida, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 26, 2007

This was pretty good. I didn't have vegetable bouillon, so used chicken broth for the liquid.

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2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

See2Gee

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Jul. 13, 2007

real good

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0 users found this review helpful

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Ashi Meessir

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Aug. 19, 2007

I really enjoyed this recipe, and I've used it as a side dish with dinner, and added cubed, grilled garlic sausage to leftovers for lunch (really yummy). Definitely not a dish for when you're in a big hurry, but worth the time it took!

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2 users found this review helpful