If you love paella then you are bound to love this recipe too. This a similar kind of vibe with comforting carbs, rich flavours and vibrant colour. However, this dish is quick and easy to make, making it a wonderful meal to enjoy any day of the week.
This is a delicious comforting orzo dish with a creamy tomato and orange base, accompanied by tangy chorizo slices. With flavours like these, this is a dish that you can enjoy year round, whether it is with a glass of red wine in the cooler months or with a crisp beer in the garden at Summertime. So get this recipe into your regular rotation!
Recipe for orange and chorizo orzo
The colour of this dish is a lovely deep orange-red, reflecting the delicious flavours of smoked paprika, chorizo and peppers. For that reason kids might just go mad for this dish too – this is a real crowd pleaser for dinner time. Even better this is a speedy dinner, and you can have it ready to enjoy in a little over the time it takes for the orzo to cook.
Ingredients
- Serves 4
- 250g orzo
- 1 large white onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 yellow pepper, finely diced
- 1 orange pepper, finely diced
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 120g chorizo, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
Method
Begin by adding your orzo to a pot of boiling water that covers the orzo about 1 inch above. Allow to boil for around 10 minutes.
In a pan fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and then add the white wine vinegar, peppers, smoked paprika and thyme. Cook until the peppers are soft and then add the tomato puree and orange juice and zest.
By this time the orzo should be cooked. Drain any leftover water (if there is a little left int he pot that’s fine) and add to the frying pan. Stir together and reduce heat to lowest setting.
Add in the sliced chorizo and natural yoghurt. Warm through and you’re ready to go.
You might like to serve with some chopped coriander or parsley for garnish. A pop of green against the orange of this dish looks great.
Recipe Overview
Orange and Chorizo Orzo
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Pot
- Large pan
- Wooden spoon
- Garlic press
Ingredients
- 250 g Orzo
- 1 White onion, large, finely diced
- 3 Garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Yellow pepper, finely diced
- 1 Orange pepper, finely diced
- 2 tbsp White wine vinegar
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 tbsp Tomato puree
- 1 Orange, zest and juice
- 120 g Chorizo, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp Natural yoghurt
Instructions
- Add your orzo to a pot of boiling water that covers the orzo about 1 inch above. Allow to boil for around 10 minutes until tender.
- In a pan fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and then add the white wine vinegar, peppers, smoked paprika and thyme. Cook until the peppers are soft and then add the tomato puree and orange juice and zest.
- By this time the orzo should be cooked. Drain any leftover water (if there is just a little left in the pot that's fine) and add to the frying pan. Stir together and reduce heat to lowest setting.
- Add in the sliced chorizo and natural yoghurt. Warm through and serve.
What is orzo?
I am such a huge fan of orzo and it lends itself to so many dishes. It bridges the gap between pasta and rice dishes. And it does that by essentially being small pieces of pasta shaped like large grains of rice. Orzo is popular across Europe but largely used in Greek cuisine. It’s a hugely crowd pleasing food and is wonderful at soaking up the flavours of dishes.
Orzo has a lovely bite to it and is wonderfully filling and comforting. It can be used as a main component to a dish as you would with pasta or rice, or it can be an ingredient within salads and soups.
How to cook chorizo
Chorizo is a cured Spanish sausage made from chopped pork. Chorizo can be enjoyed hot or cold., and because it doesn’t have to cook from raw it can be a speedy protein to add to meals.
Being a sausage, chorizo is coated in an edible casing. For best results with cooking this can be removed before slicing up the chorizo and adding to your dish.
So chorizo is quite a dense sausage, as such be sure not to cut slices that are too thick. This will ensure that the dish has an enjoyable bite without being an unpleasant work out for the jaw!
Cooking in bulk
Bulk cooking is ideal for busy schedules so you can save time by not cooking each evening. This orange and chorizo orzo is an ideal dish for cooking in bulk. It will keep in the fridge for a week and you can reheat portions as you need them. You could reheat in a microwave, or in a pan.
More recipes to enjoy
If you like the sound of this orange and chorizo orzo recipe then these other similar themed dishes might be up your street also:
Follow Girl Eats World
You can stay up to date with more recipes, food chat and news about cookbook launches on my social media channels. Follow @jogirleatsworld on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook.
Buy my cookbook!
My cookbook is packed with recipes to ensure no more boring dinners. It has recipes to enjoy year round be it light bites or real treats. You can order HERE
Pin it for later
There’s nothing worse than getting around to cooking something and losing the recipe. Keep this orange and chorizo orzo recipe safe by pinning a pic to a Pinterest board.