Creamy Garlic Butter Chick Peas & Orzo
Creamy Garlic Butter Chick Peas & Orzo
Talk about an easy one skillet meal that’s delicious and bursting with flavor! This Orzo and Chick Pea dish was actually inspired by a creamy garlic butter chicken recipe that I came across online. The original recipe used chickpeas and offered orzo as a side dish. Combining the two in one creamy garlic sauce made perfect sense that paid off with amazing flavors and textures. In the end you have a comforting meal that’s easy to make and so yummy.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 (15 oz) cans (878 g) of Garbanzo Beans
6 cloves of Garlic minced
2 (30 g) Tbsp Vegan Butter
1 (15 ml) Tbsp Avocado Oil
1 cup (226.8 g) uncooked Orzo
2 1/2 cups (75 g) Baby Spinach
3/4 - 1 cup (about 50 g) Finely grated Vegan Parmesan
1 cup (237 ml) White Wine (something you enjoy drinking) see sub note
2 cups (474 ml) Vegetable or No Chicken Broth
1/2 -1 cup (118 -237 ml) Plant Milk (add the additional 1/2 cup for a more saucy consistency)
1 Tbsp (15 g) Thyme
1 tsp (5 g) Sage
Salt & Pepper to taste
Optional: 2 Tbsp (30 g) Cashew Cream
Sub: an equal amount of Vegetable or no Chicken Broth in place of the Wine. Add 1 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar to the cooking liquid.
Cashew Cream can be made by soaking 1/2 cup raw cashews in hot water for 30 minutes then blending the drained and rinsed cashews with either 1/3 cup water or plant milk until completely smooth and creamy. Add more liquid (1-2 Tbsp) if needed. Refrigerate any unused cream for 3-5 days.
Directions
1. Warm the butter and oil together on medium high heat in a large skillet.
2. Once the butter has melted add the chickpeas and cook for 5-8 minutes stirring occasionally. Some of the chick peas may take on some color which is good.
3. Add in the garlic, thyme and sage and continue to cook for another few minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant.
4. Add in the white wine to deglaze the pan (release any stuck bits) and cook for few minutes to cook out the alcohol. Add in the broth and plant milk and mix well.
5. Add in the orzo, mix and season with salt & pepper. Lower the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10 minutes to allow the orzo to cook.
6. Add in the grated parmesan, cashew cream and baby spinach. Mix well and cover the pan once again to simmer. Allow it to cook for another 10 minutes until everything is creamy and the spinach has wilted.
7. Optional: garnish with additional fresh herbs before serving.
