Shrimp Pesto Orzo

If you liked my last post about pesto, then you’ll probably like this one too. This is the first dish I made with that batch of pesto – it was a total success! I’m actually kind of excited about the dish because it was better than I had expected.

I’m probably going to make a chicken variation of it this weekend. We’ve invited some friends over for dinner. They’re moving to a new city for at least a year and are currently in an empty apartment. Only problem is – they’re kind of fussy eaters. Health nuts. Plus, my one friend recently had an unfortunately run-in with a rock while kayaking. Let’s just say…the rock won. She has had to have parts of her teeth replaced and a couple of root canals, so she can’t eat food that is hard to chew.

Shrimp Pesto Orzo

1.5 cups of orzo

6 cups of water (or soup broth)

1 pound of raw shrimp

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 zucchinis (1 green, 1 yellow)

3/4 red pepper (that’s all I had left)

1-2 lemons (optional)

1/2 - 2/3 cup of basil pesto

1/3 cup parsley

salt and pepper, to taste

Boil water/broth for orzo. Saute garlic for a minute and then add the zucchinis. When the orzo goes in to the water, add the shrimp to the zucchini.

I added some lemon juice to both the orzo water and the shrimp mixture. I also added the red pepper around the same time as the shrimp. The exact timing will depend on your preferred texture of the cooked vegetables. I tend to like my veggies on the crispier side. Salt and pepper as you go.

When the orzo is finish, drain and add to shrimp mixture. Then add pesto. I used the equivalent of about 3 cubes of pesto. Just mix the cube(s) for a while while it defrosts and blends.

Once blended, add parsley.

Delicious! R was so excited when he got to have the leftovers for dinner the next day too.

I’m submitting this recipe to Deep Freeze Summer Challenge 2 over at Mele Cotte.

For this event, submissions must include at least one main ingredient from your freezer.