Creamy Pumpkin Orzo with Fried Sage

Lunch and Dinner

Nov 2

What does this food offer in terms of nutrients and physical nourishment?
Protein (cheese)
Carbohydrates (orzo, veggies)
Fat (butter, cheese)
Fiber (orzo, veggies)
Other (Pumpkin is a great source of vitamin A, K, and copper!)

What does this food offer in terms of mental satisfaction through flavor, texture, and experience?
Savory/umami
Herby/Earthy
Sweet (pumpkin, cinnamon)
Warming spice (cinnamon)
Creamy
Chunky
Cozy
Rustic/Hearty

If you’ve taken a peek at my last few recipes, you know I’m in my cozy one-pan meal era. This time of year especially, I really love to lean into warming and comforting seasonal dishes that embody wearing an oversized cardigan, lighting a fall scented candle, and watching a 90’s rom com. This dish is that feeling for me and has quickly become a highly requested favorite in my household. I hope it offers you a nostalgic hug, too, because I think we all could use that right now.

This dish is easy to pair with a side salad or roasted chicken, if you want a little more fresh or a little more protein. Maybe in our diet culture era we might have looked at this recipe and thought “too many carbs”, “butter!” or “not enough veggies”. I want to remind you of a few things that apply to meals like this:

Food is more than just nutrients and fuel. It’s also comfort, joy, self-expression, and tradition, too!
We are allowed to have any meal, unmodified. Even if it doesn’t have a ~perfect balance~ of nutrients.
*And* we can add to the meal, to make it better fit our physical needs, should we choose. Like adding a protein or pairing it with a veggie side.

Allergens: Gluten (optional), dairy (optional)

Servings: ~ 4 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 hour

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken or veggie broth (I opt for low sodium because I like to add in my own salt later!)

2 cups orzo pasta (regular or gluten-free works fine!)

3/4 cup pumpkin purée (plain pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix)

1/4 cup cooking light wine of choice (sherry adds great depth but a white wine would also be lovely! You can also substitute this step — see directions)

1/2 cup shredded parmesan*

2 large shallots, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 leaves fresh sage, chopped chiffonade style. Plus extra, if frying. (Here’s a great tutorial for this easy technique for chopping herbs and leafy greens!)

2 tbsp unsalted butter (Plus 1 tbsp if frying)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Salt and pepper, to taste

*This is extremely niche, but if you happen to have access to a Trader Joe’s they have a cinnamon toscano parmesan cheese that is absolutely heavenly in this dish and pairs well with pretty much any other autumn-forward ingredients. It’s seasonal, so you’ll only be able to find it in fall and early winter!

If using that, omit the added cinnamon in this recipe

Directions:

In a 4 quart sauté pan, heat butter over medium high heat until it begins to foam.
Add chopped sage and cook until aromatic (the room starts to smell strongly of sage). Then, add shallots and garlic.
Sauté until they begin to toast but are not quite caramelized. Deglaze the pan with wine (or 2 tbsp broth) to loosen the flavorful browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
Next, add orzo. Let “toast” for about 5 minutes, then add the rest of the broth, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Bring to slow boil.
Reduce to simmer and cook, stirring regularly to prevent sticking, for about 15-20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Fold in the pumpkin until fully incorporated and cook for another 5 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.
Remove from heat, fold in parmesan cheese. Top with fried sage (instructions below) and extra parmesan, if desired. Enjoy!

To make fried sage: In a small frying pan, heat butter over medium-high heat until it begins to foam and bubble. Choose sage leaves that are flat and wide, if possible.

Place sage flat and in a single layer in the pan. Fry for 30 seconds, flipping halfway through. Watch them closely, they fry (and burn!) very quickly.

Remove and place on a paper towel to absorb excess butter, sprinkle with salt and serve as a pretty and delicious topping to any autumnal dish!