Hearty Ground Beef Orzo

By: Bitty from No Dash of Gluten

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound of lean ground beef

• 1 small white onion, finely chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 ½ tsp. Italian seasoning

• 2 tbsp. tomato paste

• 1 cup of orzo

• 1 - 14 oz. can of tomato sauce

• 1 cup of chicken or beef broth

• ¾ cup of heavy whipping cream

• ½ cup of freshly grated parmesan

• 2 tbsp. of fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat, add the ground beef, seasoning with a bit of salt and pepper. Break it up a little, then let it sit and brown for about 5 minutes without touching it - this will help to build great flavor!

2. Toss in the chopped onion and keep cooking, breaking up the beef more as it goes, until the meat is fully cooked and the onion turns soft, about another 5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning. Stir in the tomato paste, letting it cook for about a minute so it gets fragrant and the color deepens a bit.

4. Pour in the orzo, tomato sauce, broth, and heavy cream. Bring it to a gentle boil and let it cook, stirring frequently so the orzo doesn’t stick. If it starts boiling too hard, just turn the heat down a bit. Cook until the orzo is tender, about 10 minutes.

5. Take the pot off the heat, then stir in the parmesan and parsley. Cover it up and let it rest for a few minutes so everything melds together. Give it one last stir, taste, adjust seasoning as needed, and serve it up warm. Enjoy!