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Short on time but not on flavor? This one-pan Orzo with Chorizo and Dates comes together quickly for a delicious and satisfying weeknight meal. Imagine the smoky spice of plant based chorizo meeting the caramelized sweetness of dates, the zesty taste of goat cheese, all intertwined with tender orzo pasta. This Orzo with Chorizo and Dates is a delightfully simple dish that doesn’t compromise on taste.
Orzo with Chorizo and Dates
Are you tired of searching online for relatively easy, kind of fast, delicious recipes, with fabulous flavors you might not have thought of combining? Often frustratingly coming across awesome non kosher or glutenous recipes which are dietarily unacceptable? Well… I’m doing the research for you, finding those recipes you don’t want to spend time finding and making the substitutions, updating them in accordance with kosher and gluten free guidelines. Woot. When I found the recipe for Skillet Orzo with Chorizo and Dates, by Sheela Prakash, in an email from New York Times Cooking, I was intrigued. I made a bunch of substitutions and came up with the awesome, savory, with a touch of sweet, quick and creamy Orzo with Chorizo and Dates.
Making Orzo with Chorizo and Dates
I ended up making several modifications to the original recipe to make it kosher and gluten free. Here is what I did.
Ingredients for Orzo with Chorizo and Dates. I used the light Impossible ground beef so the recipe had less fat. The Banza “rice” is shaped exactly like orzo, and the best chorizo spice is from The Spice House!
The Orzo in Orzo with Chorizo and Dates
Glutenous orzo is relatively easy to find. Gluten free orzo is too… Banza makes an orzo and so do other brands. Rather than cooking it in the skillet, as the original recipe specifies, I cooked it separately. Gluten free products, especially ones made of chickpeas, often need to be rinsed when they’re done cooking or they can be gummy and sticky. Cooking them separately, and not adding the extra liquid solved the “problem” of using the Banza substitute.
The Banza gluten free orzo looks just like glutenous orzo!
If you can’t find gluten free orzo in your area, you can substitute brown rice – like Uncle Ben’s brown rice.
The Chorizo
Because this recipe has dairy goat cheese in it, to make it kosher I had to substitute a plant based beef. I ended up using Impossible ground beef, but you could also use Beyond Meat or your favorite brand. Keep in mind that the Impossible is 12-ounces and the Beyond meat 16-ounces in a package. You may need to add more seasoning if you use a bigger package than the 12-ounce.
Lite Impossible Beef has way less saturated fat and cholesterol than animal ground beef but has a ton of protein.
The Chorizo Seasoning
Since I’m using unseasoned plant based ground beef, to make it into “chorizo” I added chorizo seasoning from my favorite spice company – The Spice House. You can order from them, they ship spice pouches for free, or you can get chorizo seasoning from your favorite vendor or on Amazon.
The Spice House Mexican Chorizo Seasoning allows you to have that awesome chorizo flavor without the beef!
I used two tablespoons to give the Orzo with Chorizo and Dates a good flavor, but you can also always add more if you choose.
The Onions and Garlic
It’s a well known fact by now, that I don’t use regular onions or garlic in most of my cooking . They don’t agree with me. At. All. So, I’ll give you the recipe as I make it and with the option to use the onion and garlic if you choose. The original recipe calls for 1/2 a yellow onion and 4 garlic cloves. I substituted 4 tablespoons of garlic oil and green onions. You don’t have to.
Here’s the Recipe for Orzo with Chorizo and Dates
As always, feel free to make substitutions as you like. Want to make this “meat”? Leave out the goat cheese and substitute a plant based cheese or leave out the goat cheese altogether. You are the Executive Chef in your kitchen. I’ll put some suggestions below.
Orzo with Chorizo and Dates
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Gluten Free
- Diet: Kosher
Description
Short on time but not on flavor? This one-pan orzo with chorizo and dates comes together quickly for a delicious and satisfying weeknight meal. Imagine the smoky spice of chorizo meeting the caramelized sweetness of dates, all intertwined with tender orzo pasta. This Orzo with Chorizo and Dates is a delightfully simple dish that doesn’t compromise on taste.
Roughly based upon the recipe for Skillet Orzo with Chorizo and Dates, by Sheela Prakash, from New York Times Cooking,
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup garlic oil (or 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced)
- 12 ounces plant based ground beef (I used Impossible Light)
- 2 tablespoons chorizo seasoning (or more if desired)
- 5 green onions, sliced (or 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped)
- 8 ounces Banza Chickpea orzo (or your favorite brand)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 pitted Medjool dates, coarsely chopped
- 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare the orzo according to the package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok (10-12 inches) over medium heat until shimmering.
- Add the plant based ground beef and chorizo seasoning, and cook, stirring occasionally until the beef begins to brown.
- Add the onion and cook for around 2-3 minutes. If using fresh garlic, stir it in and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the orzo and the dates and stir to combine.
- Remove from the heat. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper and chorizo seasoning as needed.
- Crumble the goat cheese evenly over the top and stir gently until just combined and starting to melt.
- Serve hot.
- This also makes great leftovers. Store in an airtight container overnight, and reheat in the microwave.
Equipment
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BARILLA Chickpea,Orzo, 10oz (pack of 8)
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Beyond Meat Beyond Beef Plant-Based Ground 16 oz
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Colavita Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Low FODMAP, 32 Fl Oz
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GreenPan Valencia Pro Hard Anodized Healthy Ceramic Nonstick 11″ Frying Pan Skillet
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HexClad 12 Inch Hybrid Nonstick Frying Pan and Tempered Glass Lid
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Impossible Burger Made from Plants
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Buy Now → The Spice House Mexican Chorizo Seasoning
Buy Now →Notes
Want to make this “meat”? Leave out the goat cheese and substitute a plant based cheese or leave out the goat cheese altogether.
Because this recipe has dairy goat cheese in it, to make it kosher I had to substitute a plant based beef. I ended up using Impossible ground beef, but you could also use Beyond Meat or your favorite brand. Keep in mind that the Impossible is 12-ounces and the Beyond meat 16-ounces in a package. You may need to add more seasoning if you use a bigger package than the 12-ounce.
Gluten free orzo usually comes in packages between 8 and 10 ounces. Feel free to use the larger package. You may need to adjust the seasonings according to personal taste.
t’s a well known fact by now, that I don’t use regular onions or garlic in most of my cooking . They don’t agree with me. At. All. So, I’ll give you the recipe as I make it and give you the option to use the onion and garlic if you choose. The original recipe calls for 1/2 a yellow onion and 4 garlic cloves. I substituted 4 tablespoons of garlic oil and green onions. You don’t have to.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 14.3 g
- Sodium: 664.9 mg
- Fat: 18.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 44.1 g
- Fiber: 8.9 g
- Protein: 22.9 g
- Cholesterol: 8.7 mg
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