Creamy Braised Swede Orzo

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This quick, one-pot, creamy braised swede orzo makes comforting and delicious midweek family dinner. Featuring humble swede, kale, peas and creamy butter beans it will have your tastebuds jumping for joy.

Course Dinner, Midweek Dinner

Cuisine British, International

Keyword creamy braised swede orzo, creamy orzo, swede orzo

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Resting time (optional) 5

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 483kcal

Author Jo Allison

Equipment

Large Chef's Knife
Large Cast Iron Round Casserole Pan, 26 cm*

Ingredients

900 g swede peeled and cut into small cubes, the smaller the cubes the quicker they cook
150 g onions or shallots peeled and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
300 g orzo pasta
40 g butter or plant butter for braising
3 tablespoon olive oil I use extra virign olive oil here
1 570g jar of butter beans (with liquid) or use 2 x 400g (15oz in the US) tins of butter beans; see notes; you can also use chickpeas or cannellini beans instead
100-150 g chopped kale or any other greens of choice
100 g frozen peas
½ teaspoon (heaped) ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon Pul Biber (Aleppo Pepper) chilli flakes or any other chilli flakes
20 g bunch of fresh dill chopped
1 ltr vegetable stock more might be needed as you cook
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare all of the ingredients as per above.
Place a large pot with a lid on a medium heat and add olive oil and butter or plant butter (if using). Once warm add sliced onions, cubed swede and generous pinch of salt. Give it all a good mix to coat veggies in oil, cover with a lid and cook for about 15-25 minutes until soft , stirring frequently.
900 g swede, 40 g butter or plant butter, 3 tablespoon olive oil, 150 g onions or shallots
Add garlic and spices and cook for another couple of minutes.
3 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon (heaped) ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon Pul Biber (Aleppo Pepper) chilli flakes
Next, add orzo, butter beans with a liquid and stock. Give it all a good mix. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down to simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes or so stirring often as orzo has tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan.
300 g orzo pasta, 1 570g jar of butter beans (with liquid), 1 ltr vegetable stock
Once orzo is almost done (it will starts to thicken and become creamy but you can still give it a little taste to check for doneness) add chopped kale and stir it in. Let it cook for a couple of minutes before adding frozen peas and letting them cook for another couple of minutes.
100-150 g chopped kale, 100 g frozen peas
Stir in chopped dill and give the orzo one last taste adjusting seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
salt and pepper, 20 g bunch of fresh dill
Let the orzo stand for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (based on 6 servings) and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
I like using both olive oil and plant butter for extra flavour when braising but you could use olive oil alone if you'd rather.
If using tinned beans I would recommend using organic ones without salt as that will allow you to use the liquid as well (the liquid from jarred beans is seasoned but not too salty hence using it here).
If you prefer draining and rinsing your tinned beans (or you're not using organic ones) you might need to use a bit more water/stock when cooking.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. I wouldn't recommend freezing.
For more information regarding ingredients, substitutions, reheating etc. refer to the post above.

PRO TIPS

Don't get put off by the time it takes to braise the swede. I promise it is worth it.

Jarred beans make such a difference so use them if you can. In the UK look out for Bold Bean Co which you can now get in most supermarkets and they're often on offer as well.

Make sure to adjust the amount of liquid and timings as you cook as needed as with best intentions they might differ slightly depending on the exact quantities, pan used, heat source etc.

Also taste, taste, taste to make sure you're happy with the amount of seasoning.

Orzo is great for one-pot pasta dishes but it is also notorious for sticking to the bottom of the pan so almost constant supervision and frequent stirring are paramount. Thankfully, it also cooks quickly so you won't have to babysit it for too long.

Nutrition