This is the first time in nearly four weeks I’m not a single lady.
I’ve been playing the single-lady card for almost a month while my husband was traveling, and I won’t lie — I kind of loved it.
I’m someone who treasures alone time, and it felt wonderful to: sleep peacefully in the middle of a big bed with the ceiling fan on high, binge Felicity marathons and watch Cheaper By The Dozen several times without judgment, peel off nail polish slowly without an eye roll, skip Monday Night Raw, skip a post-workout shower when I felt like it, read for hours each evening, and eat whatever I wanted for dinner at any hour. Often that dinner was a bottle of wine and a wedge of brie.
Not everything was blissful: dealing with giant spiders, taking out the trash (my least favorite chore), managing the dish towel pile (we have a system: I use them and he washes them when they become unbearable), baking two dozen cookies and contemplating whether eating them all alone is good or bad, frantically cleaning the kitchen and living spaces after a month of neglect, realizing mid-recipe that I’d forgotten lemons and running to the store, and hauling heavy bags like 25-pound sacks of flour up the stairs.
I’d say the pros and cons balance out pretty evenly.
One of the dishes I made in bulk over the last few weeks was this baked orzo. Having ready-made meals in the fridge let me sink into chick lit and not worry about getting up from the couch. And I wasn’t completely alone — I logged plenty of TV time with Alexander Skarsgard.
But truly, this orzo is excellent. So good, in fact, that I made it again yesterday and added chicken now that I’m not on my own. The creamy beans in the dish are delightfully underrated.
White Bean and Parmesan Baked Orzo
Serves 4+
- 1 cup whole wheat orzo pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups raw spinach
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh herbs for garnish (cilantro, parsley, basil, or a mix)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the orzo according to package directions, reducing the cooking time by 1–2 minutes since it will finish baking in the oven.
While the pasta cooks, heat a skillet over medium and add the olive oil. Sauté the onion and green pepper for about 3–4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook 2–3 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and spinach, cook until the spinach wilts, then reduce the heat to low. Add the cannellini beans, drain the orzo, and combine the pasta with the vegetable and bean mixture. Turn off the heat and stir in half of the grated Parmesan.
Spray a baking dish (a small deep dish works well) with nonstick spray. Transfer the orzo mixture to the dish and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the top. Bake for about 15 minutes, then broil for 1–2 minutes if you want a golden, bubbly top. Garnish with fresh herbs before serving.
And the bread I mentioned? That’s coming soon — two words: brown butter.