Parmesan orzo soup
Tiny pasta in chicken broth turned silky with egg and parmesan, the Italian comfort bowl people call pastina and eat whenever life feels like a lot.
- 20 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $1.98 a serving
- 370 calories
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
- 3 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup orzo
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ lemon, juiced (optional)
From your pantry
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 370 calories, 18 g protein, 37 g carbs and 16 g fat, and costs about $1.98 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No chicken broth? Vegetable broth or bone broth works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Beat the egg and parmesan together in a small bowl with a fork until it looks like a thick paste.
Bring the broth in a small over medium-high heat.
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.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Medium-high heat
Stir in the orzo and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t stick, until tender.
Medium heatTimer: 8 min 30 sec
Turn the heat to low. Stir 2 spoonfuls of the hot broth into the egg mixture to warm it up.
Low heat
Dolly’s tip: Warming the egg first keeps it from scrambling when it hits the pot.Slowly stir the egg mixture into the pot and keep stirring over low heat for 1 minute, until the broth turns creamy and slightly thick.
Low heatTimer: 1 min
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Stir in the butter and pepper, squeeze in the lemon if you like, and serve with extra parmesan.
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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30-minute dinners ›One-pan dinners ›What to make with eggs and parmesan ›