Golden Orzo with Mushrooms and Kale

All I can say to this Golden Orzo dish is: Hello Lover!

I am currently eating the leftovers of this wonderful orzo dish, as I post this, and dare I say it? It tastes even better! You can definitely make this ahead of time, the savory flavors become more pronounced and they marry together even more.  For some reason, orzo is a comfort food for me.  There is something so satisfying about eating it out of a big bowl with a spoon.  I still love and make my favorite Creamy Orzo Dish, but I already know this will become a fast favorite.

This is such a satisfying dish to eat.  The texture of the kale mixed into the perfectly cooked orzo pasta is perfection.  Everything ends up tasting incredible - this packs a huge flavor punch even though it is so SO simple. I whipped this up in about 20 minutes so it's the perfect weeknight side dish!

Ingredients: 

1/2 Yellow Onion, Diced

1 Cup Mushroom, Diced

3 Cloves Garlic, Sliced

2 Tablespoons Butter + 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste

3 Cups Kale, Chopped

4 Cups Cooked Orzo {about 1/2 box}

1/4 Cup Chicken Broth {or vegetable broth, for a vegan option!}

1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Sage

Salt and Pepper to Taste

{^Start by dicing, chopping and slicing your onion, mushrooms and garlic.}

{^To a large hot skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter and olive oil.}

{^Next, add in the onion, mushrooms and garlic.}

{^Saute over medium high heat for about 4 minutes, or until the veggies start to sweat.  Season with salt, pepper and the crushed red pepper flakes.}

{^Continue cooking for about 2 minutes more until the veggies are golden brown and toasty, being careful not to burn the garlic.  Continuously stir until everything is evenly brown.}

{^Next, add in your kale. Mix to evenly coat each piece of kale with the butter/oil/toasted onion/garlic/mushroom mixture. Saute for about 3-4 minutes or just until the kale starts to wilt.}

{^Add in your cooked orzo. Make sure you cook it al dente, per the directions on the box.  For mine, that meant for exactly 7 minutes. You want your orzo to have some bite!  Continue mixing to evenly distribute the orzo throughout.}

{^Add your chicken broth and let it sizzle and reduce for about a minute.}

{^Stir and let this saute for about 2 minutes, scraping up any golden bits from the bottom of the pan.}

{^Now it's time to add more flavor.  Add in the balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, ground sage, salt and a few good shakes of ground black pepper.  This combination of flavors will add a savory profile that will take this plain orzo the NEXT LEVEL!}

{^Mix well to combine and taste for additional seasoning. Continue to stir and saute until everything is golden and delicious.  I love the rich, golden, toasty color that the orzo takes on.}

{^Serve right away with the protein of your choice.  A beautiful filet of lemon pepper sauteed salmon was the perfect accompaniment to mine last night! This is seriously a restaurant quality dish, I was blown away.} 

{^When you look up "The Perfect Bite" in the dictionary.  It's the texture of the kale for me. :)  I hope you love this as much as I do.}

xoxo, thanks for reading and sharing!