Roasted Garlic and Spinach Orzo

And now to focus on the humble side dish. It’s easy to spend a lot of thought and time on a showstopping main, or to build a meal around it. But a delicious side dish can make a meal special, and I even think it’s worth building the rest of the meal around a dish like this creamy orzo. Its great beside a simple roasted chicken or pork tenderloin, but you can serve it as the star with some sliced chicken or poached shrimp resting on top.  The last time I served this, the oohs and ahhs were definitely about the orzo, and the biggest servings my dinners scooped on their plates came from the orzo pot. And bear in mind, a little prep work ahead and you can stir this up while that main is in the oven.

Orzo is little rice shaped pasta, so this dish has the look of risotto but without quite so much stirring. Mellow roasted garlic is the prime flavor agent here, with cheese adding a creamy note and pops of fresh spinach adding color and a nice vegetal hit. I’m pretty flexible about what cheese you use, just a nice melty, mild one that doesn’t outshine that roasted garlic. You can easily roast the garlic a day ahead so it’s all just ready to stir onto the orzo. Wrap that full head of garlic in foil and roast it until you squeeze the packet (with an oven mitt) and it is completely soft. You want the delicious, creamy insides of the garlic to slide out easily. I like to pick of any long stems from the spinach with my fingers so they don’t become stringy in the finished product. I then simple tear the spinach with my hands into smaller pieces but you can cut them with a knife on a cutting board. You just don’t want large unmanageable pieces of spinach. I use one package of baby spinach, which wilts quicker, and depending on the store these seem to be labelled anywhere from five to nine ounces. Any package will do.