Really Simple Rice Pilaf

When my husband and I were first married I would make him Rice-a-Roni (The San Francisco treat) on a regular basis. I know, I know, it's not healthy, but we were young and broke, and it was easy, cheap and tasty.
Needless to say, I stopped that habit years ago, but I still love the combination of pasta and rice so when I came across this recipe on - you guessed it - Pinterest I was so excited.
I made a few changes and added a few extra ingredients and it turned out great. Even Angelo (who eats nothing that touches) didn't mind the onions and green peppers.

Ingredients

1 tbsp Butter
1 onion diced
1/2 green pepper diced (you can use more if you want)

1 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup Orzo Pasta (it looks like rice grains only a little fatter)
1 cup Long Grain Rice

2 1/4 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Water

Salt And Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Melt butter on medium in a sauce pan until hot and bubbly. Add the onions and green pepper and fry until the onions are starting to get a pretty golden brown

2. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.

3. Melt the second amount of butter and olive oil. Add the orzo pasta and “fry” until lightly golden in colour.

4. Add the cup of rice, stir until the rice is just getting a little colour to it. Add back in the vegetables and stir.

5. Pour in the chicken broth and water, stir and bring back to a boil.

6. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover with a heavy lid and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

7. Remove from the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve!


We had it with a roasted chicken and salad and it was TASTY! As an added bonus I have leftovers for lunch and it tastes good hot or cold.