From orzo salads to cheesy bakes and hearty soups, this versatile rice-shaped pasta is perfect for a variety of dishes. Here’s how to make the most of this delightful and adaptable ingredient. Orzo, a small pasta shaped like grains of rice, offers a texture that absorbs flavours wonderfully, making it an excellent addition to all manner of dishes, from salad to soup.
This tiny pasta, whose name means “barley” in Italian due to its resemblance to the grain, is also sometimes called risoni (which means “big rice” in Italian). These terms are often used interchangeably, depending on regional preferences and branding. In New Zealand, as in other parts of the world, you may find this pasta labelled as either orzo or risoni, but rest assured, they are the same product and can be used interchangeably in recipes.
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