Toasted Orzo with Peas and Parmesan

Mid-June. Hot enough that the daycare yard is only usable in early morning and late afternoon and we have been adapting all our outdoor activities to those windows. The kids handle the heat better than adults do. They sweat through their clothes and keep running. I sit in the shade and watch and they are extraordinary in their resilience.

I got word from Calhoun this week that my application for a small scholarship has been approved: $500 toward next semester tuition. I sat in the break room and read the email three times. Five hundred dollars to someone who makes twelve dollars an hour, which is what I make now after the raise, is a meaningful amount. It means one semester paid without a payment plan. It means someone at a college decided I was worth investing in. I printed the email and put it on the refrigerator next to Elijah drawing and the Post-it about Velveeta.

Made a summer tomato sauce this week. Not jarred, not quick, a real one: ripe tomatoes from the farmers market, olive oil, garlic, basil from the windowsill which has finally recovered after Biscuit knocked it over twice. I cooked it low for an hour until it reduced and concentrated. Tossed it with pasta. Simple and perfect. The basil smelled like summer distilled into a leaf.

Biscuit ate a piece of basil from the floor and then looked deeply offended by it. We have different opinions about basil. She has made this clear.

That tomato sauce was everything I wanted it to be, but some nights in this heat I need something even faster—something I can have on the table in twenty-five minutes while Elijah tells me about his day and Biscuit patrols the kitchen floor for dropped food. This toasted orzo with peas and Parmesan has become my other summer standby: light enough for ninety-degree evenings, simple enough for twelve-dollar-an-hour budgets, and good enough that it feels like a small celebration. Which, this week, it was.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
12 ounces orzo pasta
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 and 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

Toast the orzo. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the orzo and cook, stirring frequently, until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 4 to 5 minutes. This step makes all the difference—don’t skip it.
Add garlic. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
Simmer in broth. Pour in the broth and stir well, scraping up any toasted bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Add peas. Stir in the frozen peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking. They’ll thaw and warm through quickly.
Finish with cheese and lemon. Remove the skillet from heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. The mixture will be creamy and loose—it thickens as it sits.
Serve. Divide among bowls and top with fresh basil and extra Parmesan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Toasted Orzo with Peas and Parmesan — A Simple Summer Pasta for a Week Worth Celebrating