Lemon Orzo with Shrimp, Mushrooms & Shallots

This week I purchased Giada De Laurentiis’ book Everyday Pasta and, feeling inspired to cook something delicious for dinner tonight, I decided to throw a quick pasta meal together for myself. Taking inspiration from her orzo pasta salads, I created lemon orzo with shrimp, mushrooms and shallots.

Lemon Orzo with Shrimp, Mushrooms & Shallots

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

3 shallots, minced

1 cup button mushrooms, sliced

the juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 small twig of fresh thyme

3 tbsp olive oil

10-15  medium sized uncooked shrimp, cleaned and deveined

1/2 lb of orzo pasta

1 carton chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

freshly grated Romano cheese (optional)

1 tbsp butter (optional)

To Make:

Boil chicken broth in a medium sized pot, add a pinch of salt and 1/2 lb of orzo. Stirring frequently, cook per box instructions (approximately 7-9 minutes). Drain orzo and reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid. Place cooked orzo in a large bowl for tossing.

Meanwhile, ensure shrimp are cleaned to your liking and toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in small skillet, adding shallots, mushrooms and whole twig of thyme. Brown the mushrooms, stirring frequently. When shallots soften, add shrimp and lemon juice to the skillet, cooking until the shrimp have just turned pink. Watch these as they cook quickly!

Once shrimp are cooked through,dispose of thyme twig and pour entire contents of skillet into the large bowl of orzo. Toss to incorporate, adding the reserved cooking liquid as needed to moisten. Check for seasoning preference – add salt/pepper here if needed. Finish by stirring in a pat of butter or some Romano cheese. Enjoy!