Pea Orzotto
This delicious pasta dish from Little Veggie Eats will go down a treat with kids and grown ups alike. It can be on the table in under 30 minutes, making it ideal for a fuss-free evening meal.
Introduction
This is a mid-week staple of mine and one that the kids always polish off. Frozen peas might seem like an innocuous filler veg but they are actually a great source of protein and fibre. They are also brilliant for a baby mastering their pincer grasp (which generally occurs between 8 and 12 months).
If your baby isn’t great with texture you can blend their portion and top with milled rather than whole pine nuts. If you are baby-led weaning you might want to let the orzotto cool slightly and then roll your baby’s portion into balls.
Ingredients
| 4 tbsp | pine nuts |
| 1 tbsp | olive oil |
| ½ | an onion, peeled and finely chopped |
| ½ | a courgette, grated |
| 1 | clove of garlic, peeled and chopped |
| ½ cup/100g | orzo |
| 1½ cups/350ml | low-salt stock |
| 1 cup/140g | frozen peas |
| Generous handful of | grated cheese (leave out if dairy-free, or use 2 tbsp nutritional yeast) |
Method
Toast the pine nuts in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Keep stirring until they have a bit of colour on all sides, which will take about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the olive oil to the pan and heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the courgette and garlic and cook for a further minute.
Add the orzo and stir for a minute, then add the stock. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a low simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the orzo is cooked (it will be soft with no crunch left to it).
When the orzo is cooked, add the peas and cook for another 3 minutes until the peas are cooked. Turn the heat off, then stir in the cheese, if using. Top with the toasted pine nuts and serve.
