Rice Pilaf with Orzo
Buttery white rice and golden toasted orzo, gently simmered and rested until the grains are separate.
The Turkish pantry
Orzo
Orzo is small, rice-shaped wheat pasta. For rice pilaf, brown it carefully in the cooking fat before adding the rice and liquid as the recipe directs.
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Dried wheat pasta shaped like small grains, called arpa şehriye in Turkish. It is not rice or barley, despite its shape and Turkish name.
Types & forms
Dry orzo
Firm wheat-pasta grains suited to browning before a pilaf’s simmering stage.
Cooked orzo
Has absorbed water and cannot replace the same weight of dry pasta or follow the dry-toasting stage.
What to look for when buying
- Choose plain wheat orzo rather than rice, barley or a mixed grain product. Check the label for wheat and any other allergens.
- Different brands and grain sizes can absorb liquid differently. Follow the recipe and inspect the texture rather than relying on shape alone.
Prepare & cook
- Stir during browning and watch the color closely; small pieces can darken quickly. Add the remaining ingredients in the recipe’s order.
- Simmer with the rice as directed, then rest the pilaf before fluffing. Do not transfer a cup-to-weight measure from a different pasta shape.
Store it well
- Keep dry orzo sealed and dry, away from steam and pantry pests. Follow the package date.
- Cool cooked pilaf promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Follow the rice recipe’s stricter leftover guidance where given.
Substitutions depend on the dish
Vermicelli
Broken vermicelli changes the shape and may brown more quickly; use only with a recipe that allows it.
Rice or barley
These are grains, not equivalent pasta shapes; do not use as a direct dry-orzo replacement.
Nutrition
Dry unenriched wheat pasta [1]
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 371 kcal |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Total fat | 1.51 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.28 g |
| Carbohydrate | 74.7 g |
| Dietary fiber | 3.2 g |
| Total sugars | 2.67 g |
| Sodium | 6 mg |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Calcium | 21 mg |
| Iron | 1.3 mg |
| Potassium | 223 mg |
| Vitamin D | 0 µg |
USDA composition reference per 100 g of dry unenriched pasta; orzo is a pasta shape. No cup weight is transferred from another shape. Not cooked orzo, rice or buttered pilaf. Values are rounded for readability; “not reported” does not mean zero. A “<” value is below the source’s measurement limit.
Nutrition values come from the reference source named above. They are published reference values, not our own measurements. Actual products and cooking methods may change the values.
At the Turkish table
Arpa Şehriyeli Pirinç Pilavı uses browned orzo alongside rice. Its toasted color and separate small shape are part of this particular pilaf’s character.
Cook with Orzo