Description
This creamy orzo with shrimp is a flavorful, slightly spicy, one pot wonder. Use your favorite store-bought cajun seasoning or make your own to balance the spice level to your own tastes. With just a few ingredients you'll have a creamy, comforting, easy meal on the table.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning, divided
- 1 tablespoon salt, divided* (see note below)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup orzo
- 3 cups water (or the stock of your choice)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Toss 1lb shrimp with 1 tablespoon flour, 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and spread out in as even of a layer as possible. Let cook for 2 minutes, then toss and cook for an additional minute until shrimp is just cooked through. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium, and add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to pot along with 1 medium diced onion, 3 diced celery stalks and 1 diced green bell pepper. Saute for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have cooked down and are soft and browned. You want to give it time to really develop flavor, so don't rush this!
- Add 5 sliced garlic cloves and 1 diced red bell pepper and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add 1 cup orzo and cook for a few minutes to toast pasta.
- Add 3 cups water (or stock) and remaining 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and continue simmering for an additional 5 minutes.
- Turn off heat, add reserved shrimp and 1 cup frozen peas and stir to combine. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- I like to make my own cajun seasoning using this recipe, but I leave out the salt so I can control the saltiness of the dish but still get all the spice from the seasoning! Feel free to use your favorite store-bought cajun seasoning for this, but reduce the amount of salt called for in the recipe so your end result isn't too salty. Depending on the seasoning you use, I suggest leaving out the salt when you cook the shrimp and maybe reducing to 1 1/2 teaspoons when you add in the water.
- Check out my suggestions for variations (chicken, vegetarian, etc.) within the post!
- Leftovers are delicious. If you'd like, add a little bit of water, stock or cream when you heat it up to keep things creamy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Cajun