Creamy Chicken Orzo - Quick Comfort Dish

On my way from exploring Pastalicious , I got inspired to make a hearty pasta dish of my own. I wanted something filling but not so much that it would weigh me down. Searching through my favorite Food Network Star's--Giada De Laurentiis--recipes, I found one for Creamy Orzo. I've seen Giada make this on TV and it looked awesome.

My Variation:

To give this dish some protein, I added cubed chicken and sauteed it with diced tomatoes. I also put a lot less cream in my dish than Giada (1/2 cup vs. Giada's 1 1/4 cups). And while shredded parmigiano cheese seemed to disappear from my fridge, I added shredded smoked mozzarella (but I think that you can substitute whatever cheese you like). And finally, do not use 1 lb of Orzo as Giada suggests, unless you'd like to feed a small army. I used slightly less than 1/2 pound and Dan and I still have leftovers.

Dan uttered a lot of "Mmmms" after feasting on my/Giada's Creamy Chicken Orzo. Enjoy!

Sausage, Mushed Peas and Pasta - Can It Get Better?

This recipe came from a very recent episode of Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis--did I mention that I love her? It's an easy and flavorful way to change a boring pasta repertoire. And because the dish is rich and super meaty, guys absolutely love it. Dan devoured it in minutes and went back for seconds.

Here's how to make it from start to finish. And to create a healthier version, you can always substitute the sausage for ground turkey or chicken. I swapped out the Pecorino Romano topping for smoked mozzarella but otherwise I stuck to the recipe--it was that easy!