Tuscan orzo is a one-pot meal made in just 30 minutes with simple ingredients. It's creamy, cozy comfort food at its best.
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT20M
Total time: PT30M
Rating
4.93 stars (39 reviews)
Keywords
Easy Vegetarian Recipe, tuscan orzo
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.22)
2 Tbsp butter ($0.27)
1/2 medium onion, chopped ($0.35)
4 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
1 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.10)
1 14.5oz. can roasted petite diced tomatoes* ($0.98)
1 tsp lemon juice ($0.02)
1 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.02)
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta ($1.65)
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth ($0.12)
1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature** ($0.84)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan ($1.48)
1 cup fresh baby spinach, packed ($1.10)
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley ($0.10)
Salt & pepper to taste ($0.05)
Categories
Dinner
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian
Steps
Add the oil, butter, and onion to a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes.
Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, canned tomatoes, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and orzo. Stir often, cooking for 3 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth and room temperature cream. Once it starts to bubble, turn the heat down to medium-low and continue cooking for 10 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. It should steadily simmer but not boil. You don’t want all of the liquid to evaporate.
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the parmesan, spinach, and parsley. Stir again and cover the pot for a few minutes until it has thickened up to your liking. If the orzo seems watery at the end of cooking, you can simmer it for a bit longer. It will continue to absorb the liquid and thicken.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1.5 cups
Calories: 390 kcal
Carbohydrates: 34 g
Protein: 11 g
Fat: 24 g
Sodium: 630 mg
Reviews
Shannon Bull on 2026-07-26 (5 stars): Oh, wow! This was DELICIOUS! I subbed the fresh spinach for frozen (thawed it out before hand) and added Italian chicken sausage. Chef's kiss! This was my first time using a recipe from Budget Bytes and I am impressed.
Deanne Johnson on 2026-07-23 (5 stars): I cannot cook. I am 52 and still burn grilled cheeses. I made this with mods-I browned ground beef and sautéed mushrooms and it is DELICIOUS. I appreciate the photo step-by-steps so much and love this site but this recipe is easy but sooooo good! Even for a novice like me. THANK YOU!!!
Daniel on 2026-06-27 (5 stars): I keep coming back to this recipe because it’s so easy and delicious and very forgiving. I have omitted just about every ingredient in this at one point or another and it has come out good. Personally, I leave out the heavy cream and cook the orzo in the broth uncovered on medium high until there’s the right texture, adding broth as needed
Lauren on 2026-06-26 (5 stars): This was one of the easiest and best pasta dishes I’ve made in such a long time! Thank you!
Natalie on 2026-05-11 (5 stars): This was delicious!! I added hot Italian turkey sausage and chickpeas for some extra protein and fiber and it turned out great!!
Scott on 2026-03-25 (5 stars): I made this using chickpea orzo and subbing 2% milk. It came out creamy and delicious!
I'd like to make it again.
Laura on 2026-02-25 (5 stars): This dish is so flavorful! I took your advice and did not drain my diced tomatoes, and that really made a difference. I added sweet Italian chicken sausage for some protein and loved it. My picky eater even have it two thumbs up! I'll definitely be making this again!
Myst on 2026-01-10 (5 stars): Eating this as I type, this recipe is incredible! I added sauteed mushrooms for protein as I wasn't making anything else to go with it. This is extraordinarily good, and so easy to tweak to accomodate what's in your pantry -- I increased some of the ingredients and substituted canned tomatoes for the roma tomatoes in my fridge, and it still turned out excellent. An easy, forgiving dish that I love!
Erin on 2025-12-30 (5 stars): I've made this twice in the last two weeks, and it's a big hit at our house. Tonight's was an experiment - substituted jasmati rice for the orzo. I had to extend the cooking time about 10 minutes to account for the rice, but it was delicious with no further changes!
Madison on 2025-11-29 (5 stars): I made your recipe. Turned out wonderful. My guests and family thought it was delicious and said to make it again!
Mim on 2025-10-16 (5 stars): Tasty! I used 1-2 ounces of cream cheese instead of heavy cream since it's what I had on hand, added a can of chickpeas, probably tripled the spinach, and left out about the last 1/4 c of water. It was an easy, comforting meal I'll make again.
If doubling, note that 2 c orzo is a little less than a pound.
Katie Avery on 2025-09-18 (5 stars): LOVED this recipe! However, it was a bit light on protein for us so I added about 2/3 of the meat from a rotisserie chicken towards the end of the orzo's cook time and that was super yummy. Also considered adding ground turkey. I did swap out the canned tomatoes for fresh cherry tomatoes from my garden - to make up for the difference I added a bit of broth and increased the cooking time for the step where the tomatoes are added.
