Healthy Orzo Recipes

The creamy quick-blend dressing is just the thing to top this inspired Southwest pasta salad. Both can be made a day ahead.

This version of the Italian classic soup Minestrone is packed with leeks, potatoes, beans, zucchini, spinach and orzo, making it perfect for a hearty lunch or supper on a cold winter's night. To make a vegetarian version use vegetable rather than chicken broth. Top each bowl with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for a zesty burst of flavor.

Sure, orzo is good in soup, but there's no need to stop there. Here it's a base for a bold blend of spices, tomato sauce and flavorful ground lamb. The optional pinch of crushed red pepper will add the heat that many crave.

Classic comfort food is yours, in just slightly more than half an hour. Serve with some crusty whole-grain bread and top with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

A simple mixture of roasted red peppers, provolone cheese and oregano makes these healthy stuffed chicken breasts restaurant-worthy. With olive-studded orzo and broccoli, this healthy dinner recipe is an easy and complete meal.

This simple healthy minestrone soup recipe cooks in less than 30 minutes and uses celery stalks, leaves and dried celery seed to flavor the delicious Parmesan-laced tomato broth.

This soup recipe is based on a traditional pasta dish that consists of lots of parsley, garlic, chopped walnuts, hot chile and olive oil, all fried up and tossed with pasta. We amped up the greens, made the pasta a nutritious supporting player and turned the recipe into a soup. It's best served immediately, because the orzo will absorb liquid as the soup is held. Thin any leftover soup with more vegetable broth, if desired. Recipe by Anna Thomas for EatingWell.

Lemon, oregano and feta add zing to broccoli rabe tossed with whole-wheat orzo.

We steam brightly colored bell peppers in the microwave to save time and then stuff them with orzo, spinach and feta. This basic recipe will work with almost any filling--try substituting different types of cheese, herbs or beans. Serve with whole-wheat pita bread and cucumber salad.

Hearty with chunks of beef or lamb, plenty of vegetables and a bit of pasta, this Moroccan soup gets its rich, golden-orange color from turmeric.

Sun-dried tomatoes and Romano cheese pack a flavorful punch along with the tantalizing aroma of fresh marjoram in this rustic Italian-inspired dish. Serve with sautéed fresh spinach or steamed broccolini.

Quintessential Greek flavors--feta, lemon and dill--combine perfectly in this hearty salad. To complete the Mediterranean mood, try pairing it with a Greek Retsina or a Portuguese Vinho Verde.

Sure, orzo is good in soup, but there's no need to stop there. Here it's a base for a bold blend of spices, tomato sauce and flavorful ground lamb. The optional pinch of crushed red pepper will add the heat that many crave.

Orzo is a small, rice-shaped pasta, made bright and savory here with fresh mint and chicken broth.

Lemon zest and fresh parsley brighten up plain-Jane orzo for a great side dish you'll find yourself adding to your repertoire.

Chopped tomatoes, fresh basil and Parmesan cheese update canned tomato soup.

Orzo, a rice-shaped pasta, makes a delightful base for an authentically Greek combination of shrimp, tomatoes and feta. To serve as a side dish, omit the shrimp and drain the tomatoes before adding them.