Harissa orzo with chickpeas
Orzo and chickpeas simmered in a smoky, gently spicy harissa tomato broth, then finished with spinach, lemon and feta.
- 35 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.68 a serving
- 510 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp harissa
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1½ cups orzo
- 3¼ cups vegetable broth
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
Each serving has about 510 calories, 19 g protein, 75 g carbs and 15 g fat, and costs about $2.68 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No feta cheese? Goat cheese works.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the onion and the garlic.
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Heat the oil in a large, deep over medium heat. Cook the onion 4 minutes, until soft, then stir in the garlic, harissa and tomato paste for 1 minute.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: Harissa brands vary a lot in heat. Start with 1 tablespoon if you’re unsure, and stir in more at the end.Stir in the orzo, then the broth, chickpeas and salt. Turn the heat to high and .
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Turn the heat to medium and 9 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the orzo is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 9 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Stir often and scrape the bottom. Orzo loves to glue itself to the pot.Stir in the spinach until it , then the lemon juice.
Wilt. Wilting means cooking leafy greens just until they go soft and collapse. Greens shrink a lot, so a big pile of spinach becomes a small handful, and that’s normal.
How you’ll know: The leaves turn soft and deep green and slump into the pan, usually within a minute or two.
Medium heat
Serve topped with the feta and parsley.
Dolly’s tip: It’s just as good at room temperature, so it packs well for lunch.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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