Sunday, April 24, 2011

Cheesy Orzo Frittata

I have this habit of buy all shapes pasta to keep in my pantry. It is not that we are big pasta eater but I like to keep them handy when I needed them. One of them is Orzo Pasta. Orzo pasta is a type of pasta which is made in the shape of a grain of rice. This pasta is very versatile, and it can be use in soup, salad, casserole or you can even substitute orzo for the rice. The word orzo is Italian for “barley,” and a reference to the size and shape of the pasta. The small size can make orzo fun pasta to work and cook with.


I found this Chicken and Orzo Frittata by Giada De Laurentiis from Food Network.com. I change the recipe a bit with some leftovers from my fridge. I replaced the chicken with some leftover ham, the roasted peppers with sundried tomatoes and added some olives since Carlos is a huge fan of it. Her recipe also calls for crème fraiche, which I don’t usually have on hand so I substituted it with half and half. This is an easy dish to prepare and we enjoyed it with some salad.

This is my version of the frittata but you can check out the original recipe here .




Ingredients:

3/4 cup orzo pasta
6 eggs
1/2 cup low fat ricotta cheese
4 tbsp half and half
1 cup ham – cubes
4 spring onions – chopped
1/4 cup parsley – chopped
1/3 sun dried tomatoes – diced small
1/4 cup green olives – halves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper


1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degree F. Line and greased an 8” round baking pan.
2. Bring a small pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add in orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
3. In a large brown combined the eggs, ricotta and half and half. Mix until all ingredients are combined. Add in the cooked orzo, ham, sundried tomatoes, olives, spring onions, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
4. Pour the mixture into the baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn on the broiler. Place the pan under the broiler until golden on top, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let set for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with a side salad.


Note: You can replace the Ham with any type of protein.

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #6 : Say Cheese (April 2011) hosted by Jean of Noms I Must.

17 comments:

My Little Space said...

Oh man, this is just so tempting. Have to make one soon. Have a lovely weekend.
Cheers, Kristy

Jeannie said...

That looks like a cake! just beautiful, love the look of your frittata:)

Cuisine Paradise said...

I am not good in cooking western dishes but this dish of yours sure look easy to follow :) veri impressive too :)

Awayofmind Bakery House said...

It looks yummy!! Gert, just to let you know that you've been invited for the easter party@5 recipes to celebrate easter. try to join if you can..

Victor said...

That's a very generous portion of frittata. Love the ingredients that you put in, especially the ricotta.

Alice said...

wow! first time i heard about orzo pasta! the frittata looks yummy!

Angie's Recipes said...

I am like you...like storing stuff in the pantry..just in case I need them. Love your frittata!

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

I would love this for breakfast or lunch. It is ever so tempting.

lena said...

nice bake! must be very filling too!

pigpigscorner said...

I had the best "risotto" thats made with orzo in San Sebastian! Have been looking out for this ever since. Very nice use!

Quay Po Cooks said...

Frittata is a versatile dish, one can use their imagination to the fullest. This looks great, good job!

Kak rus said...

Hello Gert...I haven't found orzo fritatta here in Kedah.Maybe i can find it at Cold Storage,Penang.Nampak so yummy.

ICook4Fun said...

Kristy, thank you.

Jeannie, yes it does :)

Ellena, thank you.

Ah Tze, thank you for the invites but I think I am a bit too late to participate. Sorry about that. Maybe we can do this again next year.

Victor, yes they used a lot of ricotta cheese in Italian cooking.

Alice, can you get it in Singapore?

Angie, yea that is why I always ran out of space in my pantry :(

Comfy Cook, we have this for brunch :)

Lena, yes it is that is why we need to eat this with salad.

ICook4Fun said...

Pigpigscorner, yes some people do use this like risotto rice.

Quay Po, yes you can put anything in it and I will usually put whatever I can find in my fridge :)

Kak Rus, orzo tu satu jenis pasta and fritatta tu the name of the dish :)

ma'chiks said...

fabulous frittata! malaysian version of baked macaroni eating with chillie sauce..

Sherlly said...

I made this for lunch last Friday and I just think this recipe was just divine. Delicious and colorful. Everyone in my family loved it! Thanks for the recipe =)

mycookinghut said...

I love frittata!! Just so simple and delicious!