The first time I had orzo, I thought it was rice. Little did I know, it was pasta masquerading as rice. Since discovering it’s true nature, I am constantly thinking of ways to incorporate it into my meal rotation. And that is how I ended up making this one pan easy vegan spinach cannellini bean orzo recipe!
This frugal, easy vegan orzo dish cooks up quick, and is packed with savory flavors. Plus, you can’t beat orzo pasta with cannellini beans and spinach! It simple, tasty and works well as a side dish or as main entree. And it tastes great with or without vegan cheese on top.
Explore more UVK recipes, like Asian Orzo Pasta Salad, Gnocchi with Cannellini Beans, Spinach and Tomatoes, Cannellini Bean Salad with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette, Herbed Black-Eyed Pea and Cannellini Bean Salad, or Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup.
Now, let’s cook up some tasty orzo!
Spinach Cannellini Bean Orzo
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp vegan butter
1 cup dried orzo pasta
2 cups broth (fake chicken or vegetable)
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 scallion, chopped
3 cups fresh spinach, packed
15.5 ounce can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and black pepper
Vegan cheese, to top – optional (vegan feta or vegan parmesan work well)
1. First, you’ll sauté the aromatics for the spinach cannellini bean orzo. In a large skillet, add vegan butter, onion, garlic, salt and black pepper. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes or until onion are soft and a little golden.
2. Add dried orzo and sauté for 3 more minutes, constantly stirring the orzo around in the skillet.
3. Add broth and reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer without a lid for 10 minutes, or until the orzo are cooked through. Stir every now and then to keep it from sticking.
4. Stir in lemon juice, scallion, spinach, and the cannellini beans. If it’s sticking a little to the bottom of the skillet, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of water.
5. Constantly stir over low heat until the spinach wilts and the beans cook through (about 2 minutes). Top with vegan cheese, if using, and serve.
12 responses to “Spinach Cannellini Bean Orzo”
Can you use frozen spinach? Don’t have freshon hand
Thanks for reaching out! You could try it. I’d recommend thawing it and squeezing out all the water before adding it to the dish.
I made this today for lunch and it is delicious. It did take another cup of broth or it would have been too dry. Very easy and tasty!!!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing.
I don’t have cannellini. They’re not readily available where I live. Can I sub black beans or some other bean?
Thanks for reaching out. I think the best replacement would be great northern beans.
I just made this recently and I couldn’t remember where I’d gotten the idea so offering up a belated thanks. We loved it
That’s awesome! Thank you!
Definitely trying this tonight. Was looking for an orzo and cannellini recipe and this is the only one that looked delicious….and didn’t use tomatoes.
We don’t have any spinach, but have a big supply of kale in the garden. I hate substituting, but I do like kale better. Also don’t have any vegan butter/cheese, so will be using olive oil and nutritional yeast.
Then, when I go shopping, I will get the spinach, and vegan butter and cheese, and make it the way it’s written.
Sounds like a tasty variation. Hope you enjoy it both ways. Thanks for giving it a try 😊
We enjoyed this very much! Followed the recipe and it was really good
So happy to hear it was hit! Thank you for trying it 😊