Baked Orzo with Pesto Peas Prosciutto and Mascarpone

We’re going green today folks with cheesy Baked Orzo with Pesto, Peas, Prosciutto and Mascarpone!  Perfect as a side dish or main dish!

Two.  More.  Weeks.

Two more weeks and our home and lives will be back to normal after our frozen pipe “flood” in early January.  A friend’s girlfriend was just diagnosed with cancer so I totally “get” that in the grand scheme of things, this is only an “inconvenience.”  Someday this will be a distant memory and I have renewed compassion for people who are flooded out of their homes for months because of storms and other calamities.

With all the chaos, workers in and out constantly and dust EVERYWHERE, it’s been tough to cook.  However, I was able to pull this great dish together from things I already had on hand.

Okay, so not everyone has prosciutto and mascarpone cheese on hand, but I’m one of those bizarre people who often will!

Spring is crazy early this year here!  My husband harvested our first asparagus spear yesterday and our chives and mint are peaking their lovely flavorful heads out of the ground.

As I mentioned in the Butternut Squash, Leek and Gruyere Tart post, we’re really feeling the pressure of using up what we froze or stored from last growing season.  We still have tons of basil pesto in our freezer so I loved being able to use an entire container of it here.

I love orzo pasta.  It’s shaped like rice, but it cooks much faster than rice.  I had cooked orzo in my freezer, so the amount I stated in the recipe is approximate.  Simply adjust the cream, half-and-half and mascarpone up or down.  This recipe is very forgiving and will also work with any small pasta shape such as shells or ditalini.  You could certainly use rice, too!

Mascarpone is simply Italian cream cheese.  It’s a bit more expensive than traditional American-style cream cheese but it’s a lovely addition to this dish.  Whipped cream cheese will also work and feel free to substitute diced ham for the prosciutto.

If you’re not a “pea person,” spinach or broccoli would also work.  Hmmm…..  How about spinach or broccoli pesto?  See?  This baked orzo dish is forgiving and totally adaptable.

With all the pounding, sawing and commotion around here, I think it will be a perfect day to work outside!

Enjoy!

Baked Orzo with Pesto Peas Prosciutto and Mascarpone

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Prep Time 10 min

Cook Time 40 min

Total Time 50 mins

Ingredients

• INGREDIENTS
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups COOKED orzo pasta (approximately 2 cups dry orzo pasta)
• 1 cup peas, fresh or thawed if frozen
• 3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
• 3/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
• 3/4 cup prepared pesto
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. INSTRUCTIONS
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a small baking dish (like an 8 x 8-inch square) with cooking spray.
3. Combine cooked orzo, peas, prosciutto, cream or half-and-half, pesto, mascarpone and half the Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper to taste.
4. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbling. Let rest 5 minutes then serve.

by Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen

Recipe Notes

Prep time does not including boiling the orzo.

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