Mushroom Orzo

I love mushrooms. I love them BBQ'ed, roasted, sauteed, baked on pizza- whatever. I like the flavor and texture that they bring to the table. Literally.
Hubby doesn't feel the same way. And that's just fine with me. I just add them here and there to my food and everybody is happy.
And then I found a Tasty Kitchen recipe for Creamy Mushroom Orzo and wanted to try it. Having never cooked with orzo prior to this recipe, it definitely intrigued me.
I followed the recipe almost exactly the first time. The only change I made was substituting more chicken broth for the wine. When do I ever seem to follow a recipe the whole way through the first time? Okay- maybe with breads. Anyways.
The dish was very tasty. I felt that it needed a higher mushroom to orzo ratio, though. So next time, and subsequent times afterward, I continue to add much more mushrooms.
The verdict? Even hubby likes this dish. It makes a great side to just about anything. It can serve about 6- but we usually just finish the whole pan ourselves. :)
Another little thing I love about this dish is that you add all of the liquid to the pan that you need to cook the orzo. None of this boiling it then draining it business. Which is ideal since I don't have a sieve, and don't want to use a bunch of cheesecloth everytime I want orzo.

Mushroom Orzo serves 6
adapted from Tasty Kitchen

2 slices of bacon
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. uncooked orzo
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbl. butter
1 can chicken broth (I prefer reduced sodium)
salt & pepper to taste

Cook the bacon in a medium sized frying pan until done. Remove and reserve. (Or just eat while cooking the rest of the dish). You should have about 2 tbl. of grease; if not, add some oil or butter.
Over medium heat, cook the onions and mushrooms in the bacon grease until the mushrooms soften and t he onions start to become translucent. Add in the orzo, garlic and butter. Stir around until the butter has melted and the orzo is completely mixed in and coated.
Pour the can of chicken broth in the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat a bit and simmer until the liquid has been sucked up and the orzo is soft. There may be a little liquid still in the pan, but after the heat is turned off and the pan sits, the liquid will soon be no more. Season with salt and pepper to your taste and enjoy!

I linked up this tasty recipe at:

• July's Side Dish Showdown at Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice
• Strut Your Stuff Thursday at Somewhat Simple
• It's Party Time Thursday at Ponytails & Fish Scales
• Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
• Friday Favorites at Simply Sweet Home
• I'm Lovin It at TidyMom
• Mouthwatering Monday at A Southern Fairytale
• Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff
• Two for Tuesday vol. 8 at Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy
• Tuesday Night Supper Club at Fudge Ripple