Quick Chicken & Vegetable Risoni recipe (Orzo) (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between orzo and risoni? ›

Is there a difference between Orzo and Risoni? Nope, they're the same thing! Tiny rice shaped pasta that's widely available nowadays, it's called risoni here in Australia but most countries in the world call it orzo.

Add pasta and 1 Tbsp. of salt to 5 litres of boiling water, cook for 8 minutes or to taste. Durum Wheat Semolina (Gluten).

Risoni (pronounced ree-soh-nee) looks like large grains of rice but is actually a type of pasta. It's also known as risi (which is Italian for rice) or pasta a riso, and is sometimes referred to as orzo, although this tends to be slightly larger.

We recommend 1 litre for every 100g of pasta. Add pasta to boiling water. Stir occasionally. Cook for the length of time indicated on the pack.

Orzo is rice-shaped pasta. Although its appearance resembles grains of rice, orzo is actually made from a specific type of flour called semolina. Since orzo is a type of pasta, the health benefits of orzo and pasta made from the same ingredients are the same.

Orzo is a good source of thiamin and niacin, also providing some B6, folate, iron and zinc. White rice delivers more zinc than the others, but has much smaller amounts of other nutrients.

Rice and orzo contain a significant amount of nutrients like protein and carbs; orzo has a higher concentration of these two nutrients. These nutrients help replenish the body's energy and heal the tissues from within. Therefore, a higher concentration of this makes orzo the better option.

Test Kitchen Tip

Rinse the orzo only if it will be baked or served cool in a salad. Otherwise, do not rinse; rinsing removes a light coating of starch that helps sauces and seasonings cling to the pasta.

Risoni / orzo – Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water per packet directions. Drain, rinse then toss in a little oil (to keep it from clumping) then cool.

If you're adding risoni to soups, stews or risotto you don't have to cook it as it will absorb the liquid or stock. But for everything else, like salads and cold sides, cook your risoni in a medium saucepan of salted boiling water for eight minutes or until al dente.

How many cups of risoni per person? ›

How many cups of risoni per person? Use approximately 1/2 cup of uncooked risoni per person.

Risoni looks a bit like rice and expands to about three times its dry size when cooked. Depending on what else you are dishing up, allow about ½ cup of the raw risoni per person. It is quicker to cook than rice, taking only seven to eight minutes when tossed in a big pot of salted boiling water.

Orzo to Water Ratio

Generally it is 1 cup of uncooked orzo to 2 cups of water or broth. There is typically liquid left over after cooking that needs to be drained before using.

For types that aren't long like spaghetti, two cups of water should do. For longer types, four cups of water should be enough, though I've done Asian-style noodles with two cups using a frying pan (it's wide enough to let me see what I'm doing when boiling the noodles).

Boil 1/2 cups water for each cup orzo. Add 1/4 tsp salt, then the orzo and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and most of the water is absorbed, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Orzo is a familiar shape that goes by many names – risoni (or “big rice” in Italian) and puntalette (“tiny tips”) are just two of its other aliases. Orzo literally means “barley” in Italian, as the pasta shape resembles a grain of barley or rice.

Just briefly – orzo vs risoni

Called risoni here in Australia and orzo in most of the rest of the world (UK, US, Canada). But risoni is actually the correct name used in Italy because orzo means barley in Italian. And risoni is not made from barley, it's made from flour like normal pasta! So there you have it.

Gemmine is a great gluten free risoni alternative and has a shape that will remind you of rice, only larger.

Yes, orzo is a pastina pasta, which translates to "little pasta." Pastina pasta are typically thought of as pasta shapes for soups. Orzo, also called risoni, is one of the smaller pastas available, along with ditaloni, grattini, risi, midolline and corallini.