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Home Collections Quick Dinner Recipes

Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo (Risoni) (One Pot)

By:Nagi
Published:25 May '15Updated:21 Mar '19
167 Comments
Recipe v

Here you go! I’ve made dinner easy for you – a Mushroom and Spinach Orzo all made in one pot, packed full of nutrition (A grade nutrition rating) with plenty of creamy sauce but without a single drop of cream!

Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo (Risoni) - all made in one pan, so creamy (but no cream!) . A fabulous meat free meal!

What’s your position on fresh vs frozen spinach?

I love using fresh spinach in salads. But for dishes like this, when the spinach is cooked down and stirred into things, it just doesn’t make sense to me to use fresh spinach. You’d need at least 5 bunches (probably more!) of fresh spinach to make this. OR 1 box of frozen spinach.

So for cost and efficiency reasons, I use frozen spinach in this. 🙂

Besides, don’t you totally buy into the whole “snap frozen” thing? I know I do!!

So with a box of frozen spinach, mushrooms and a handful of pantry staples, you can get dinner on the table in just over 20 minutes. Seriously! It’s that easy.

Did I mention this Mushroom and Spinach Orzo is all made in one pan? Here it is, straight off the stove.

Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo (Risoni) - all made in one pan, so creamy (but no cream!) . A fabulous meat free meal!

Oh wait, all those mushrooms are in the way so you can’t see how CREAMY it is! Here, I’ve shoved them out of the way for you so you can see how lovely and saucy it is!

Psst reminder: no cream! No cream!

Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo (Risoni) - all made in one pan, so creamy (but no cream!) . A fabulous meat free meal!

As with all pastas, the sauce does get sucked into the orzo/risoni pretty quickly. So when it’s ready, holler for your family to get to the table asap so they can eat it while it’s nice and fresh and saucy. (That’s how the Italian mama’s operate. Follow their lead!)

You will be surprised at the nutrition in this. With an entire box of spinach and 600g/20 oz of mushrooms, this has an A- nutrition grade rating (see below for more information). I’ve also provided some tips below for how to pack even more vegetables into this!

Dinner’s up! – Nagi


More risoni / orzo recipes

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  • Orzo / Risoni Bolognaise – one pot bolognese pasta dish!

  • Greek Lemon Orzo Salad – a bright fresh pasta salad loaded with Greek flavours

  • Creamy Salmon Risoni / Orzo (15 Minute Meal) – tastes like risotto, except MUCH faster to make!

  • Baked Greek Chicken Orzo (Risoni) – Greek chicken AND orzo made in one pot!

  • One Pot Creamy Chicken, Vegetable & Parmesan Orzo (Risoni) – creamy chicken and vegetable orzo, a quick 20 minute meal

  • Pea, Zucchini and Pesto Orzo / Risoni – a wonderful quick side dish

Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo (Risoni) - all made in one pan, so creamy (but no cream!) . A fabulous meat free meal!

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Spinach & Mushroom Creamy Orzo (Risoni) - all made in one pan, so creamy (but no cream!) . A fabulous meat free meal!

Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo (Risoni) (One Pot)

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Total: 30 minutes mins
Pasta
4.96 from 47 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
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  • 1493
An easy dinner for midweek all made in one pot. Super creamy but made without a single drop of cream! Nutrition grade rating of A-. Make it even more nutritious by adding more vegetables!

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1.2 lb / 600g mushrooms , sliced (I used button mushrooms)

Orzo / Risoni

  • 3 tbsp butter, unsalted
  • 3 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 small onion , finely diced
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1 1/2 cups / 375 ml milk (I used low fat)
  • 3 cups / 750 ml chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups orzo / risoni, uncooked (Note 1)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Black pepper
  • 3/4 cup parmesan cheese , grated
  • 8 oz / 250g frozen spinach (1 box), thawed, excess water squeezed out

Garnish (optional)

  • Extra parmesan cheese
  • Finely chopped parsley

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large non stick pan over high heat (if you aren't using non stick, use more oil).
  • Add the mushrooms and cook until softened (around 3 minutes). Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Lower the heat to medium and melt the butter in the pan. Add garlic and onion, and sauté until the onion becomes translucent - around 3 minutes.
  • Add the flour, stir it in and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the milk and chicken broth and use a whisk to mix the butter flour mixture into the liquid.
  • Increase heat to medium high. Add the orzo/risoni, salt and pepper, stir once, then put a lid on (Note 2). Bring it to a simmer, then leave it to cook for around 8 to 10 minutes or until the orzo/risoni is cooked but still slightly firm, and it is still quite saucy. Note: If you have a strong stove, turn it down slightly so it just simmers).
  • While the orzo is cooking, break up the spinach into little pieces with your fingers.
  • Remove the pan from the stove. Stir through the parmesan, spinach and cooked mushrooms. Check if more salt or pepper is required.
  • Serve immediately, garnished with more parmesan and fresh finely chopped parsley, if desired.

Recipe Notes:

1. Orzo / risoni is a pasta that is in the shape of rice and can be found in the pasta section of supermarkets. It costs around the same as ordinary pasta.
2. If you don't have a lid for your fry pan (which I don't), use the lid of a pot larger than the pan or a large baking tray.
3. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings. Tip: The calories can be reduced by increasing the amount of vegetables in this. Either add more mushrooms, or other vegetables (even the frozen bags of chopped vegetables - heated through - will work). That will fill this out so it will serve more people. 1 1/2 cups of extra cooked mushrooms / spinach will stretch this out to serve 5 and will reduce the calories by about 100 calories per serving down to around 440 calories per serving.
Mushroom and Spinach Orzo Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 601gCalories: 542cal (27%)Carbohydrates: 67.9g (23%)Protein: 27.3g (55%)Fat: 19.2g (30%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Cholesterol: 37mg (12%)Sodium: 1172mg (51%)Potassium: 1024mg (29%)Fiber: 5.7g (24%)Sugar: 12g (13%)Vitamin A: 6400IU (128%)Vitamin C: 33mg (40%)Calcium: 330mg (33%)Iron: 8.8mg (49%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.
Spinach & Mushroom Creamy Orzo (Risoni) - all made in one pan, so creamy (but no cream!) . A fabulous meat free meal!

 

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167 Comments

  1. Stephanie says

    August 16, 2023 at 10:46 am

    Delicious! Didn’t have mushrooms so replaced with artichoke hearts instead. Yum!

    Reply
  2. Roshini Naidu says

    April 18, 2023 at 10:26 pm

    5 stars
    Love your recipes Nagi👌Absolutely delicious😋 used a mixture of mushrooms only & served rissoto with a chicken dish I made in the oven!

    Reply
  3. Kirsten says

    March 8, 2023 at 11:41 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is so great and easy! Added truffle oil before serving and it’s phenomenal 🙂

    Reply
  4. Sandhya says

    March 7, 2023 at 8:26 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe. So glad to find good vegetarian recipes! Thanks Nagi

    Reply
  5. Adree says

    October 31, 2022 at 12:40 pm

    5 stars
    So yummy. I added chicken to it!

    Reply
  6. Anne-Maree says

    September 28, 2022 at 3:54 pm

    5 stars
    Made this on my lunch break 😋, I was so surprised that alot of the items were staples. Added zucchini & peas as well, really flavoursome, wholesome and quick to make. Thanks Nagi 😊 much appreciated

    Reply
  7. Sheila says

    September 12, 2022 at 1:05 pm

    5 stars
    Winner winner chicken dinner! Made for 2, used 1-1/2 c fresh spinach, scarfed down by my veggie-hesitant spouse 😉

    Reply
  8. Andrea says

    May 11, 2022 at 8:29 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! I used fresh kale/spinach instead of frozen spinach, and added in chilli flakes for extra flavour. It was a big hit and people went back for 3rd helpings!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 12, 2022 at 2:34 pm

      You’ve gotta love people who eat THIRDS! N x

      Reply
  9. Bad Kitty says

    March 11, 2022 at 3:56 pm

    5 stars
    I admit it: I’m a glutton. I used heavy cream with just a bit of water.

    I wilted down one bunch of fresh spinach (that’s all I had) and let it drain. I didn’t have enough mushrooms or spinach, but by the time it was done, all I can say is . . . oh. my. goodness! One of the most tasty pastas I’ve eaten, let alone made, in a long time. Just decadent!

    Nagi, do you have any suggestions on how to do this recipe with the sauce and pasta separate? I was thinking of cutting the milk and chicken broth by 1/2 and keeping everything else the same. My reason for wanting to do this is so I could save some for lunch the next day, and I think it would hold up better if I could just add the sauce to the pasta.

    Thank you so much for a delectable recipe!

    Reply
  10. Kiera says

    February 4, 2022 at 4:54 pm

    5 stars
    So good! I didn’t have enough mushrooms so I subbed in some green capsicum for bulk, used fresh spinach and left out the parmesan.

    Reply
  11. Joseph Gregory says

    September 25, 2021 at 2:47 am

    5 stars
    Really enjoyed this one. Creamy, cheese, hearty, and with plenty of vegetables, might even try adding a bit of chicken next time !

    Reply
  12. Zoë says

    February 24, 2021 at 6:54 am

    Hello from London! Just made this for weekday dinners and had to comment how much my bf and I loved it. We topped it with sliced crispy fried ‘shroomdogs’ (vegetarian chorizo sausages) and a tiny squeeze of lemon juice and it was just delicious. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.

    Reply
  13. Jude Ritchie says

    January 27, 2021 at 6:49 pm

    Hi your recipie does not say how much or type of chicken

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 28, 2021 at 3:31 pm

      Hi Jude, that’s because there is no chicken in this Mushroom and Spinach Orzo! N x

      Reply
      • Bad Kitty says

        March 11, 2022 at 4:44 am

        Omg, some comments are so funny!

        Reply
  14. Sandra says

    January 16, 2021 at 11:02 am

    Made for dinner tonight, definitely will be making again! Pretty simple for such good flavor. Paired very nicely with the salmon I prepared!

    Reply
  15. Lynn Dahlson says

    January 13, 2021 at 6:02 am

    I made this and it is absolutely delicious! I also used a bag of fresh baby spinach. I used low-sodium chicken broth to reduce the amount of salt. It’s my new comfort food!

    Reply
  16. Amber Weiss says

    January 7, 2021 at 6:12 pm

    Milk is not cream. Milk and cream are both dairy but not the same thing exactly. Most creamy sauces are made with a lot of cream and as such are high in fat, creamy sauce with skim milk is different. So I think the NO cream is still valid. This was also quite a rude way to bring it up. There are plenty of alternative milks if you want non dairy, but as it has cheese (also from milk!) It shouldn’t be a big issue really.

    Reply
  17. Debbie Driscoll says

    September 28, 2020 at 6:41 am

    5 stars
    I can’t tell you how overwhelmingly positive the reactions were to this!!! I did use fresh, chopped, baby spinach because I had it. And it worked fine but could have used a little more. I made it with pan-seared sea scallops and couldn’t have worked out better! Thank you! Thank you!!! It will be on my regular rotation.

    Reply
  18. Stephanie Williams says

    April 27, 2020 at 12:56 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe , I used almond milk and it was delicious, also added fresh basil, kale and chestnut mushrooms.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 27, 2020 at 2:36 pm

      YUM! Sounds fantastic! N x

      Reply
  19. Layla says

    March 31, 2020 at 3:10 pm

    5 stars
    I just made this and it is absolutely delicious. Even my husband likes it and I didn’t expect him to like it at all. 🎩 off to you Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 31, 2020 at 5:10 pm

      That’s the BEST compliment Layla!! N x

      Reply
  20. Nagi says

    March 25, 2020 at 11:15 am

    Thanks so much Heather! N x

    Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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