One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo
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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!
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
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 – Use as much or little as you like.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Leftovers
Fridge
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container in for 3 to 5 days.
Freezer
Freeze in an airtight container for 1 to 2 months.
More Delicious Orzo Recipes To Try:
- 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
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Serves: 6
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
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
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
- If you cannot find taco skillet sauce, regular taco sauce or enchilada sauce can be used.
- You can use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef.
- If you can’t find orzo, small pastas such as shells or farfalle will work as well.
- 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.
- 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%)
I made tons of changes, and didn’t feel like it would be right to rate it less than a 5. The basis of this recipe is amazing and easily customizable.
I used beef broth, frozen corn, and tons of seasoning.
Absolutely phenomenal and I had all the ingredients on hand.
Can the leftover be frozen. There are only two of us, and this makes a lot.
Thanks
You can! The only issue is that the texture of the orzo will by much softer after thawing, if you don’t mind.
Sonya, I used a recipe that I found online for Homemade Taco Sauce. You are correct about the tomato sauce and the spices. It was excellent in Jo’s One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo. Here’s the link: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/240291/homemade-taco-sauce/
Made this for dinner last night. Also made the taco sauce to go in it. This recipe went together in no time and was very good. I love the taco sauce recipe. Much better than the store bought sauce and much more affordable. Since it is just me and my husband, I made half a recipe. Served with a dollop of sour cream, lettuce and tomato.
I love this recipe and have made it several times. Every recipe I have made of yours always turns out great!
Trying to figure out how to make this. It calls for 2 cups Taco Skillet Sauce, however if I click on the picture I see a packet, however I can’t tell if it is a liquid or dry. I searched and found a recipe on a website that uses tomato sauce and adds a bunch of spices. I thought it best not to link it here in case it is not what you intended. Can you please clarify. I will note that I do not see Taco Skillet Sauce at the grocery stores here. Hoping for some clarity on what is in Taco Skillet Sauce. Thanks!
Since it’s a sauce, it’s liquid! You can use enchilada sauce in its place if that’s easier to find. We have a great homemade version as well: https://www.jocooks.com/course/sauces/enchilada-sauce/
I thought it would be liquid as it is a sauce, however, in the picture from the link, it looked like a packet. I guess I am just used to sauces in a can or jar. I will make the enchilada sauce recipe you listed. That looks perfect for this and other recipes as well. Thanks for the quick reply. I have had all my other ingredients waiting and now I can make this today.
I made the cheesy orzo and my family really loved it!! I also made the fabulous enchilada sauce from the recipe you listed. to use in the cheesy orzo. I used a bunch of tomatoes that we had that were getting squishy and wow I love this enchilada sauce also. I will be making more of it today. Thank you so much for both recipes!!
It was love at first bite. I don’t remember the last time my guy said he loved a new recipe after the first bite but this was the recipe that he just kept saying how much he loved it and to not change a thing. Just the right amount of heat and lots of flavor.
I did need to cook the dish about 5 min longer with extra chicken broth as I felt the orzo could be cooked a bit longer. I also used McCormick’s fajita skillet sauce as they didn’t have taco skillet sauce at my grocery store.
Make sure you add the green onions and cilantro as it really added to the already great flavor.
Thanks Jo for another dish added to the rotation!