Description
Lemony orzo and chickpeas are simmered in a lightly-spiced broth and tossed with spinach.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 1 small lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
- fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- chopped fresh cilantro, for topping
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat oil in a large non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic, cumin, turmeric, red pepper flakes, stirring frequently.
- Simmer. Add vegetable broth, chickpeas, orzo, sea salt and lemon zest and stir to combine. Continue to cook until the mixture reaches a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low, or whatever temperature is needed to maintain a low simmer. Continue cooking, stirring fairly frequently so that the orzo does not stick to the bottom of the pan, until the orzo is al dente. If the orzo needs more liquid to cook, just add in ¼ cup of extra broth anytime needed.
- Season. Once the orzo is al dente, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the spinach and lemon juice until the spinach has wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve. Serve the orzo mixture warm, topped with a sprinkling of chopped fresh cilantro, and enjoy!