Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: A Cut Above the Rest

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (100)

Cook Time:
30 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
6 to 8 servings

Times:

Prep: 25 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 30 min
Total:: 55 min

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Ingredients

4 cups chicken broth
1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons butter, plus more to grease the baking dish
1 onion, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces shredded fontina cheese (about 1 cup)
4 ounces diced fresh mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.

Bring the chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the orzo and cook until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Pour the orzo and the broth into a large bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until the mushrooms are beginning to turn golden around the edges, about 7 minutes. Add the Marsala. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and cook until the Marsala has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture to the orzo in the large bowl. Add the cream, fontina, mozzarella, peas, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and dried thyme. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top of the pasta. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas
Mavis Chicago, IL 11-02-2009
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Bland and Boring
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I tried this recipe because I love peas, mushroom, cheese, and pasta, but it ended up just being boring and not really even... all that cheesy. I'm an avid cook, and this is one of the first dishes I've made in awhile that I just didn't like. No go on this one, Giada. I think adding some cooked chicken to the dish might help it out some. Read more
recipe Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas
SCOTT Taunton, MA 09-12-2009
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Nothing Special
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I stumbled across this recipe in one of Giada's cookbooks and decided to give it a try. I have to say I wasn't overly... impressed. I found the recipe to be just "OK". I even added cubed grilled chicken breast. I did eat the majority of this dish over the next several days but I doubt I'll make it again. Giada has some much better recipes to go with. Read more
recipe Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas
Janin Miami, FL 08-29-2009
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A New Holiday Favorite
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

When I saw this recipe on Giada's show, I knew I had to make it. It had lots of my favorite ingredients. I made it for... Thanksgiving, since my family likes to try new dishes as well as the traditional ones. It was an immediate hit! I have made this dish many times since then, and for varied occasions such as potlucks, dinner parties, etc. It has always gotten rave reviews from everyone, even the kids. I have given out this recipe to many, many people. It is not only delicious, but easy to put together as well. And because it feeds lots of people, it is a great potluck dish or Holiday dish. Read more
recipe Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas
Michelle Newburgh, IN 08-20-2009
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AWESOME
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have made this recipe several times and it is great everytime! I changed up the peas with asparagus.... yummy!!! I cut this... recipe in half and it also worked great. Thanks for another super recipe!!! Read more
recipe Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas
Ally Portland, OR 08-19-2009
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I WON'T be making this one again...
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

This recipe sounded great and has great reviews, so maybe I got my hopes up too high, but I also read the reviews that said... it was bland and that is exactly what I thought too. I only used half the orzo and a little over half the chicken broth (thanks to others' suggestions of adding more broth so it's not so dry), but I did everything the same as the recipe called for except instead of the fontina cheese I used 2 cups of an italian cheese mix (I didn't want to spend $10 for the cheese until I tried the recipe out first...good thing...). To be honest I don't think the fontina cheese would have saved the dish. So if you want to give this recipe a shot, I would recommened cutting the recipe in half or even a quarter. I cut the orzo in half and it was still a TON of food (6-8 servings). Read more
recipe Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas
Laura San Diego, CA 08-06-2009
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Excellent, very tasty
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Great dish. Add roasted chicken or shrimp and you can make it a meal! This is enough for 12 people.