Brown-Butter Orzo With Butternut Squash
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾cup thinly sliced shallots (2 to 3), or use onion or leek
- 1small (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ¾-inch cubes (3 cups)
- 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves, or 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary or marjoram, plus more for serving if you like
- 1teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt, plus more as needed
- ¼teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving
- ¼teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
- 3cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1½cup uncooked orzo
- 1lemon, zested and halved
- 2tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- ½cup whole-milk ricotta (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
394 calories; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 709 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
In a medium Dutch oven, or a large (12-inch) skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the foam subsides, the milk solids turn golden brown and it smells nutty and toasty, 3 to 4 minutes. (Watch carefully to see that it doesn’t burn.)
- Step 2
Stir in shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add squash, sage, a large pinch of salt, the ¼ teaspoon black pepper and the ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and cook until squash is golden at the edges and begins to soften, 12 to 17 minutes.
- Step 3
Add stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in orzo, lemon zest and the 1 teaspoon salt. Cover the pan and simmer over medium-low heat until orzo is just tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 14 to 18 minutes, stirring once or twice. If the pan dries out before the orzo and squash are tender, add a splash or two of water.
- Step 4
Remove pan from heat and stir in Parmesan. Taste and add more salt if needed, and a squeeze of lemon juice if the dish needs brightness. Dollop with ricotta if using, and sprinkle with more grated Parmesan and black pepper just before serving, garnishing the top with more red-pepper flakes and sage.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Mark
As a chef who has worked a number of years in Greece, I would recommend seeking out Greek orzo. The difference is that the Greek product uses butter and milk in the pasta dough whereas the Italian ones are just flour and water. The finished dish will have a nicer, creamier texture.
Suzette
I have a basement full of home grown butternut squash, so I'm always on the look out for new ways to serve it. I made this last night and it was delicious. I followed the directions just as written EXCEPT, not trusting the cooking time for the squash, I parcooked it in the microwave in a large covered bowl with a 1/4 cup water for 4 minutes and drained it before I added it to the shallot and brown butter. The resulting squash in the end was perfectly cooked and silky.
Dian
Delicious meal! My tweak - used 2 cups of vegetable stock and 1 cup of pinot grigio, which added depth to the taste. This recipe is a keeper.
keith
A fine meal in its own. Did not deviate from recipe, used sage, and it came out beautifully. Don’t forget the dollop of ricotta cheese at the end!
literarywitch
This is an outstanding recipe and my new favorite side dish of all time. It speeds up cooking to passively pre-roast the butternut squash at 400 degrees in the oven for half an hour. I substituted crème fraiche for the ricotta based on what I had available, and added garlic with the herbs. The flavors are rich, savory, and indulgent. This dish is greater than the sum of its parts!
NP
Used Arborio instead of orzo and it turned out creamy and delicious. Would do this again but perhaps put the Arborio into the pot prior to the stock… just to toast it a bit.
Eva Achas Resnik
Delicious. Just because , growing up in Philippines, we cooked almost anything with coconut milk, i used coconut milk and chicken broth to make 3 cups of liquid.
Kristen
This is straight up delicious. Made exactly as specified - outstanding.
KellyA
This was fantastic; I substituted quinoa for orzo (didn't have), which made it much more healthy and probably as tasty. I had just roasted some BN squash and was looking for a good recipe for the cubes. Oh, also added broccoli florets- perfect dish.
Rosalind
So delicious. To tweak, I would bloom hand-ground pepper in the browning butter. Once the squash is soft slightly mash it, then add the orzo to toast while stirring with a bit of orange wine, then gradually add the broth in about 3-4 batches to gradually absorb like a traditional risotto. Let sit for a few minutes before adding Locatelli pecorino romano and a squeeze of lemon.
AlyssaMB
Doubled the cooking time and added a cup of white wine, which worked well as otherwise the pasta would have been undercooked. Also recommend a teaspoon of white miso if you have on hand — as with all recipes, have a glass of said wine while it cools down!
Nancy
Really liked this - Used chicken broth, whole wheat orzo and sage. Very nice.
John K.
Surprisingly good; used whole wheat orzo which accentuated the nutty flavor. Skipped the ricotta. Needed more stock though - ended up using 4-4.5 cups.
Barbara from Ottawa
This was amazing! Next time, in addition to the sage in the recipe, I will fry some more sage leaves in a bit of butter or oil and scatter them over the top of each serving -- a little bit of crunch and a boost of flavor.
Sam
This was delicious! Didn't have stock in the house so used two cups of water and 1 cup of white wine instead. A beautiful bowl of herby, creamy comfort.
Hannah
I made this last night for dinner and enjoyed the flavors. Next time I would precook and purée the squash and then add it into the pot with the orzo.
Sallie
Only modification was using couscous instead of orzo. Didn't have ricotta but didn't miss it. An outstanding dish; flavors are amazing.
Isabella Dean
This was delicious! I would have preferred a slightly creamier texture so next time I will mash the squash more. Lots of leftovers and easy to make!
Dan
Made as written except added a bit of dried thyme with fresh sage. Delicious-- rich, creamy and autumnal. Would skip the ricotta next time. It was a bit of gilding the lily, not necessary at all.
Margaret
I've made this according to the recipe and the result was lovely. The creamy texture and hint of lemon work so well together! Recently, I ran out of orzo and the closest substitute in the pantry was long grain rice. The only recipe edit I made was to add and toast the rice after the shallots and before the squash. The result was not the perfection of the original recipe, but was still very, very good and well worth trying if you find yourself in a similar, orzo-less situation.
Luther
Very good though I will say if you are fixing this as a side, it demands more attention than you might think. Doubled the recipe as it was for 7 people. Should have increased by half. Cutting the squash into the size mentioned is critical for cooking. You definitely need to keep an eye on the dish after adding the orzo and stir at least 4-5 times. Used the entire half of the lemon when dish was ready.
Anita
Easy weeknight recipe. Made it for myself while my husband had a late meeting...he hates butternut squash - I LOVE it! I'll have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Love the lemony edge of this dish. Very good!
NovaRunner
I used a chickpea risoni and it worked perfectly. I also made things a bit more complicated than they had to be by roasting half the squash in centimeter cubes and stewing the remainder with the pasta. I realize this one was designed to be porridge-y, nonetheless, I topped the dish with some toasted pepitas for more texture. The flavors are wonderful.
Whitney A
This is SO good! I thought I had orzo, alas, subbed in Israeli couscous and adjusted the stock accordingly. Worked great.
Kelsey
This was great and super easy using pre-cut squash. Used some white wine to deglaze and added a lot of flavor. Endless possibilities for seasonings. I used dried sage and rosemary as I forgot I didn’t have fresh. Really could use anything. Also added some chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s which was a filling and flavorful addition. Easy if not super quick, but did allow me to enjoy a glass of wine with my spouse while it cooked. Great weeknight meal.
CC in DC
Delicious and so quick and easy! I used a large pinch of dried rosemary instead of sage. Will add the ricotta next time (didn’t have it on hand). Very happy with this!
Kat
I love this recipe so much, and usually follow it to a T. But the last time I made it, I realized–only after I had added the broth—I only had 1/2 cup of orzo left! I added some collard greens, and it ended up being a wonderful soup.
Montana
Made this as written other than adding a little spinach at the end for some greens. So so tasty. Excellent pretty quick dinner that feels like a treat.
Mac
Easy, delicious. Served with roasted broccolini.
Ndavid
Made this for the second time tonight - very good both times. This time: Half olive oil/half butter (still got that nutty, butter flavor); used barley (precooked) instead of orzo; skipped the ricotta (didn’t have any, and besides I’m trying to make things healthier) and it was fine without it. No stock was needed, since the barley was already cooked. Just added some white wine and water to make it a bit of a broth and cooked until butternut was tender. Used rosemary. Lovely.
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