One-Pot Tomato Chickpea Orzo

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: One-pot meals are great! They free me from having to think of a side, and they tend to be relatively easy, so it’s a win-win. I tried a one-pot cheesy taco pasta, which was pretty good (though I recommend that you NOT double the recipe, because the yield is in fact quite generous as it is). But the one that’s really worth writing home about is this one-pot tomato chickpea orzo dish. It was a lot more involved than the “15 minutes” advertised in the original post, and thankfully I read ahead and foresaw the time crunch; I made it during the day and then, when we walked in the door at a quarter to six after dentist appointments for both kids, on a cold day, I just warmed it up, topped it with basil and parm and we sat down to a wonderful, restorative dinner. This really hit the spot for me and I loved it. The Engineer was quite fond of it; the Little Prince thought there were too many chickpeas for his liking, so he ate around them. The Fox, though, was a bottomless pit when it came to this pasta, and on leftover day, I had to cut him off after three bowls! I’ll be making this one again.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 lb. dried orzo pasta (about 2 ½ cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes or tomato purée
2 (15-oz.) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 3 cups total)
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
¼ cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil leaves, for serving

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the orzo and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in the broth, tomatoes, and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring frequently so that the orzo doesn’t stick, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes or according to package instructions. (If the pasta isn’t completely cooked at this point, add another splash or two of broth or water to the pot and continue to simmer until it has.)

Stir in the parmesan cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the chopped basil and additional grated cheese, if desired.