Simplify

08.27.

Beef Orzo Skillet

Now that school is back,

I really want to utilize my time and be more productive during the day. I have all these wish lists of things I want to accomplish. Like for instance, simplifying MY LIFE! LOL! That will always be #1 and most important on my list. However, I will probably NEVER accomplish it……. and I’m ok with that……… most of the time.

One thing I can probably, maybe, sort of do that with is dinner. You always hear about 30 minute meals and while some of them are good…… others are GREAT!

I happened to find one of those the other night when I was scouring the internet for some culinary inspiration. I ended up finding this one on my Calendar site I use, www.cozi.com.

It was SOOOOOOO good! The best part was that my kids gobbled it up and my little one didn’t even realize that there was Spinach in it!

It’s so nice to only mess up one pan when cooking and not a million bajillion (is that a word?) of them. I honestly do not know how my fingers do not shrivel up and wither away from all the pots and pans I wash????

You MUST give this one a try!

Recipe: Beef Orzo Skillet

Ingredients

½ tsp salt
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes ( I use the garlic, basil, oregano flavor)
1½ cups low sodium beef broth
1 tsp minced fresh oregano or ½ tsp crumbled dried oregano
¼ tsp pepper
8 ounces orzo pasta, dried (1 cup) – try whole wheat if you can find it!
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
½-¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Sprinkle salt into a 10 to 12 inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Crumble beef into pan and cook, stirring often, until meat begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium, stir in onion, and continue to cook, stirring, until onion is soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Drain grease from meat in a colander and return to pan.
Add garlic, tomatoes (break them up with a spoon) and their liquid, broth, oregano, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil then stir in pasta. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently until pasta is tender to bite, 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, squeeze as much liquid as possible from spinach. Stir spinach into pasta mixture just until heated through. Serve with cheese to add to taste.