- 1/2 cup uncooked orzo
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bunch beet greens roughly chopped (about 10 ounces)
- 1 14.5-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
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Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a pot. Add salt to taste, about 2 teaspoons. Pour in orzo and cook 8 to 10 minutes. Orzo should have a firm but chewy texture. Drain and rinse orzo.
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Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic over medium low heat in a pan. Stir occasionally to prevent garlic from burning.
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When garlic is fragrant, add beet greens and salt to taste. Increase heat to medium high and add cannellini beans. Cook until beet greens are wilted. Remove from heat and stir in crushed red pepper.
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Combine cooked beet greens and beans with orzo. Drizzle remaining tablespoon olive oil and serve.
Inspired by How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman (<-affiliate)
Seasoned Secret
Salting your pasta water is the best way to flavor to orzo pasta. In fact, it’s the only way to season the pasta itself. (The sauces you use will flavor the dish, but not the actual pasta.) However, be sure to cover your pot and add salt to your water after it’s boiled. Salted water takes longer to come to a boil. Covering the pot traps heat, which brings the water to a boil more quickly.
Gluten-Free
Use a gluten-free pasta like DeLallo’s gluten-free orzo or use your preferred gluten-free grain.
Omnivore
I like to finish this garlic beet greens recipe with a sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan cheese. This is the kind of easy dinner recipe that calls for leftover meat from roast chicken, a few pieces of pancetta or bacon, or cooked breakfast sausage just for seasoning.
Check the Fridge
The building blocks of this beet greens recipe are the starch, greens and beans. So use what you have! Swap chickpeas or navy beans for the cannellini beans. Use spinach or Swiss chard instead of beet greens. Penne, fettuccine, even ramen noodles are appropriate for this recipe.
From Scratch
Looking to stick to your budget even more? Cooking beans from scratch is a great way to save money. Especially if you buy from the bulk section, dried beans are even more affordable than canned beans. You can cook beans on the stove top or in the slow cooker. I like the slow cooker method. Just soak the beans overnight and then cook them on low in the slow cooker for 6 to 7 hours. Be sure to add some salt as well as aromatics like onion, garlic, and bay leaves.