Orzo with White Bean, Preserved Lemon, & Radish
This white bean orzo makes hearty one-pot supper, flavored with piquant salted lemon pickle, and crisp radish. For a more substantial meal, you can add roasted chicken, or keep it plain for a vegetarian main dish or rich and simple side dish. It comes together quickly, and you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less!
Ingredients
saute together:
- 2-4 tbsp olive oil or butter
- ½ large onion peeled, minced or small dice
- 3 large garlic cloves peeled & chopped
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp flaky kosher salt or to taste, use less if you are using fine salt
- ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper or to taste
add next:
- 2 cups dry orzo pasta
- ¼ cup preserved Meyer or regular lemon peel minced or chopped fine
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
cooking liquid:
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tbsp chicken or vegetable base or bouillon cube
add to cooked orzo:
- 1½ cups radish greens, washed and chopped (substitute arugula, chard, or other tender bitter greens, or ¾ cup fresh parsley leaves)
- 1 cup cooked white beans (one standard can, drained)
- 1 cup diced rotisserie or roasted chicken (optional)
- ½ cup thinly sliced or diced fresh radish
Instructions
prep ingredients:
- Wash and trim the radishes. Pick over the greens and toss any that are slimy or not fresh. It’s ok if they’re a little wilted.
- Soak the greens if they are at all gritty or dirty, and change the water a few times until they're clean. Pat them dry with a clean towel, or spin them dry.
- Bundle or roll and chop the radish greens. Slice the tougher stem ends of the greens very fine. You can make a coarser cut for the more tender tips of the greens, or mince them all.
- Slice the radishes thinly, or chop them if you want more crunch.
- Peel and mince the onion and garlic.
- Mince the preserved lemon peel, discarding any seeds or tough membranes.
- Dissolve the chicken or veggie base/bouillon in the stock.
saute onions & garlic:
- Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil or butter in the pan, and saute the chopped onion with a pinch of salt until it begins to take on some color.
- Add the freshly ground black pepper, coriander and garlic and saute for another minute or two.
- Add the dry orzo to the pot and toast it for a few minutes, along with the dried herbs and preserved lemon.
add stock & simmer:
- Add the stock and base to the pot, cover, and bring up to a simmer over medium low heat.
- Add the chopped greens and white beans to the pot and fold them in, stirring periodically and recovering the pot.
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the orzo is cooked through and the mixture is thick and creamy.
add radishes & optional protein:
- If you're adding diced cooked chicken, fold that in now, and then top the pot with the diced or thinly sliced raw radishes.
- You can also simmer the radishes lightly with the orzo (adding them in the previous step) if you want a milder flavor and less crunch, though the color may bleed a bit.
- Serve warm. This is also good cold the next day, or on a bed of crisp greens as a hearty lunch salad.
Notes
To use uncooked chicken:
- Add one cup of cubed raw chicken breasts or thighs to the pot after sauteing the orzo, and before adding the broth.
- Cut the cubes less than 2" in size and saute briefly before pouring in the broth, and they should be cooked through by the time the orzo is done.
- Cut one of the larger pieces open to check that it is opaque and cooked through before serving.
Note on nutritional information:
This was calculated using 3 tbsp of olive oil, chicken base, radish greens, and adding the optional diced rotisserie chicken. All nutritional calculations are estimates and will vary based on ingredients used, cooking time, and other variables.Nutrition
Calories: 395kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 22gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 1747mgPotassium: 310mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 343IUVitamin C: 51mgCalcium: 208mgIron: 2mg
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