One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo

One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo – picture the yumminess with this quick and delicious pot of perfect comfort food, ready in 30 minutes! Enjoy a big bowl of cheesy gooey goodness!

One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo

At the very least, I think you should bookmark this recipe for a busy weeknight or when you’re in a pinch because you couldn’t get off any easier with making dinner. Another thing I love about this dish is how pretty and colorful it is, because as you all know we first eat with our eyes, and I’m all about colorful and pretty dishes. One last thing to mention here is the more cheese the better, although I only list one cup of shredded cheese in the ingredients list, go big or go home.

The thing is, I really dig this dish (do people still say dig?) because I’m a sucker for anything cheesy, especially cheesy pasta. And I even like to fool myself into thinking this dish is healthy because I did add some veggies to it, like the bell pepper and all those toppings like the tomatoes, green onions and olives.

What Is Orzo?

Orzo is a small cut pasta that tastes heavenly in big entrees just like the one I’m writing out for you all today. It packs some good protein and pairs well with a good variety of veggies, I’ll be sure to give you some good recommendations below. This dish is absolutely divine and I can’t wait to show it to you all today!

Ingredients In Cheesy Taco Orzo

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• Onion – We want something that cooks down well like white or yellow.
• Garlic – Fresh is always best but if jarred is all you have on hand keep in mind that 1 1/2 teaspoons equals 1 whole clove.
• Orzo – We want this small shaped pasta for our dish, but you could also substitute it with couscous.
• Broth – Low sodium chicken broth to cook our orzo in.
• Hot sauce – Feel free to use whatever brand you’d like, I prefer sriracha so I incorporated some of that in my dish today.
• Cheese – Mozzarella and cheddar shredded up fresh.
• Veggies – Bell pepper diced up small.
• Seasoning – Salt and pepper.
• Taco sauce – We want to incorporate some taco skillet sauce into our dish. This sauce is one of my favorites and if you can find it, I recommend buying loads of it. However, feel free to replace this with taco sauce or enchilada sauce.
• Toppings – Tomatoes, green onions and olives.

How To Make Cheesy Taco Orzo

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

1. Saute the sauteables: Add the ground beef to a large skillet and brown it over medium-high heat until it’s no longer pink, breaking it up as you go along. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the skillet and let it cook for about a minute, then add the chopped bell pepper. Stir everything together and cook for about 3 minutes until the onion is translucent and the pepper is tender.
2. Incorporate the orzo: Add the dry orzo to the skillet and turn the heat down to medium low. Stir in the taco skillet sauce and the chicken broth, season with salt and pepper then add the hot sauce. Cook for about 10 to 12 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.
3. Finish the dish: Stir in the cheese and remove from heat. Top with tomatoes, olives, green onions and fresh cilantro before serving.

What Else Can I Add To My One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo?

Another great thing about this recipe, besides it being, quick, one pot and delicious, is the fact that it’s quite versatile. Although I give you a basic recipe here, feel free to add what you’d like to bulk it up a bit!

Veggies

• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Peas
• Mushrooms

Meat

This dish would taste amazing with a bit of chicken, bacon, or pancetta.

Starches

You don’t just have just use orzo, you can use some other starches if you’d like! I’m just obsessed with orzo lately, because you know what, it only takes about 6 minutes to cook!

• Rice, long grain like Basmati to prevent stickiness
• Couscous
• Any small small shaped pasta

Storing Leftover Cheesy Taco Orzo

Fridge

Freezer

More Delicious Orzo Recipes To Try:

Orzo is such an under-appreciated pasta so add it to your weekly dinner rotation, trust me.

• One Pot Spicy Pork Ragu with Orzo
• One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo
• Mediterranean Orzo Salad
• Lemon Orzo with Asparagus
• One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
• Creamy Parmesan Orzo with Chicken and Asparagus

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One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo

4.6 from 25 votes

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Total: 30 mins

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Serves: 6

Print Pin Rate

One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo - picture the yumminess with this quick and delicious pot of perfect comfort food, ready in 30 minutes! Enjoy a big bowl of cheesy gooey goodness!

Equipment

• 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 2 cups orzo uncooked
• 2 cups taco skillet sauce
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth low sodium
• 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
• 1 tbsp hot sauce such as Sriracha
• 1 cup cheese shredded, I used a blend of Mozzarella and Cheddar

Toppings (optional)

• tomatoes chopped
• olives chopped
• green onions chopped
• fresh cilantro chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Add the ground beef to a large skillet and brown it over medium-high heat until it's no longer pink, breaking it up as you go along.
• Add the chopped onion and garlic to the skillet and let it cook for about a minute, then add the chopped bell pepper. Stir everything together and cook for about 3 minutes until the onion is translucent and the pepper is tender.
• Add the dry orzo to the skillet and turn the heat down to medium low. Stir in the taco skillet sauce and the chicken broth, season with salt and pepper then add the hot sauce. Cook for about 10 to 12 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the cheese and remove from heat.
• Top with tomatoes, olives, green onions and fresh cilantro before serving.

Video

Recipe Notes

1. If you cannot find taco skillet sauce, regular taco sauce or enchilada sauce can be used.
2. You can use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef.
3. If you can't find orzo, small pastas such as shells or farfalle will work as well.
4. If you use rice as a substitute, make sure to adjust the amount of chicken broth to suit the cooking instructions for the rice you're using.
5. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 456kcal (23%)Carbohydrates: 48g (16%)Protein: 30g (60%)Fat: 15g (23%)Saturated Fat: 7g (44%)Cholesterol: 69mg (23%)Sodium: 1146mg (50%)Potassium: 522mg (15%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 8g (9%)Vitamin A: 1343IU (27%)Vitamin C: 30mg (36%)Calcium: 165mg (17%)Iron: 3mg (17%)

Course:Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine:American

Keyword:cheese, orzo, taco

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