Recipe Box: Orzo with Artichoke and Grape Tomatoes

I love love love pasta and recently I have to say that orzo has been my go to pasta. It cooks up in less than 15 minutes and is perfect for quick meals after a long day at work. If you would like to know how I created the dish below, just continue reading.

Orzo with Artichoke and Grape Tomatoes 

Serves 1

Ingredients

20 small shrimp (peeled, deveined & tail off)

1/4 cup orzo pasta

1/8 cup halved grape tomatoes (roughly 6-8 tomatoes)
10 quartered artichoke hearts
1 tbsp butter

1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp minced onion
1 tsp paprika
lemon juice (drizzle)
salt (pinch)

Directions

1) Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

2) While pasta cooks, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.

3) Once butter has melted - add shrimp, quartered artichoke hearts, minced garlic and minced onion into skillet and sautee over medium heat making sure everything gets coated with butter then season with paprika, lemon juice and salt.

4) Cook mixture until shrimp is done - I usually judge this by the shape of the shrimp (if the shrimp has curled into the shape of a C it's done, if it's curled around tightly into the shape of an O it's overcooked).

5) Add halved grape tomatoes to skillet and cook now on low heat for just a minute or two (you just want the tomatoes to soften a little).

6) Pour the cooked, drained orzo into the skillet and stir, let heat for a minute.

7) Serve and enjoy!

FYI: If you aren't a fan of shrimp you can substitute it with chicken or veal.

Are you going to give this recipe a try? If so, I would love to know how it turned out for you! Please leave a comment below.