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Barilla Orzo Pasta, 16 oz
$16.76
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Product Details
Orzo is pasta cut to look like a grain of rice, and the name is the Italian word for barley, the grain it was first said to resemble. Barilla's box takes about nine minutes to cook and holds a firm bite, which is what makes it useful in places where a long noodle would be awkward.
A handful dropped into chicken broth turns a thin soup into supper. Boiled, cooled and tossed with tomatoes, cucumber, feta and herbs, it makes a salad that keeps its texture overnight in the fridge. Toasted in butter first and simmered pilaf-style with stock, the grains stay separate while the starch thickens what is around them; Barilla itself suggests it in place of Arborio for a quicker risotto-style dish.
Worth knowing: Barilla pasta sold in the United States is largely made at the company's American plants in Ames, Iowa and Avon, New York, which run the same recipes and machinery as the original mill in Parma.
Ingredients
Nutrition Information
| Calories | 200 |
|---|---|
| Fat Cal | 9 |
| Total Fat | 1g (1% DV) |
| Saturated Fat | 0g (0% DV) |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg (0% DV) |
| Sodium | 0mg (0% DV) |
| Potassium | 118mg (2% DV) |
| Total Carbohydrate | 42g (15% DV) |
| Dietary Fiber | 3g (11% DV) |
| Soluble Fiber | 2g (0% DV) |
| Insoluble Fiber | 1g (0% DV) |
| Sugar | 1g (0% DV) |
| Protein | 7g |
| Vitamin A | 0% DV |
| Vitamin C | 0% DV |
| Calcium | 0% DV |
| Iron | 10% DV |
| Vitamin D | 0% DV |
| Thiamin | 40% DV |
| Riboflavin | 15% DV |
| Niacin | 30% DV |
| Folate | 50% DV |
Allergen Information
Contains: Wheat.
Manufacturers can change formulations at any time, so always read the physical label before consuming.
Manufacturers can change formulations at any time, so always read the physical label before consuming.
Directions & Storage
Barilla Orzo Pasta, 16 oz
$16.76
Questions About This Product
The things people actually want to know before they cook with it.
Is orzo rice or pasta?
Orzo is pasta. It is made from durum wheat semolina and extruded into a shape that closely resembles a large grain of rice, which is where nearly all the confusion comes from. It cooks and behaves like pasta, not like a grain, and it is sold in the pasta aisle alongside Barilla's other classic shapes.
Why is it called orzo if orzo means barley?
The Italian word orzo literally means barley, from the Latin hordeum, and the name attached itself to this rice-shaped pasta in North America. In Italy the same shape is more often called risoni, meaning large grains of rice. There is no barley involved.
Can I cook orzo like rice, in a measured amount of liquid?
You can, and many one-pot recipes do exactly that, simmering orzo in broth until the liquid is absorbed. The tradeoff is that orzo sheds starch as it cooks, so the absorption method produces a creamier, more risotto-like result rather than separate fluffy grains. If you want distinct, separate orzo for a cold salad, boil it in plenty of salted water and drain it instead.
How do I keep orzo from turning mushy?
Overcooking is the usual culprit. Barilla lists 9 to 10 minutes for al dente and 10 to 11 for a more tender bite, so start tasting around the seven or eight minute mark rather than trusting the clock. Stir during the first minute so the small pieces do not clump on the bottom of the pot, and for a salad drain and rinse under cool water to halt the cooking and wash off surface starch.
What can I use instead of orzo?
Other small pasta shapes are the closest match, with ditalini, acini di pepe, or broken spaghetti filling the same role in soups and salads. Israeli or pearl couscous works in salads, though it is rounder and chewier. Plain rice can stand in when the orzo is serving as a simple side, but it will not behave the same way in soup, where orzo's released starch gives the broth body.
Is orzo the same as couscous?
No. Orzo is an extruded pasta shape made from durum wheat semolina and boiled like any other pasta. Couscous is made by moistening and rolling semolina into tiny granules that are then steamed or hydrated, and it is much finer than orzo. Israeli or pearl couscous is closer in size but is still a different product with a chewier bite.
Can I make risotto with orzo?
Yes, and the dish is often called orzotto. Toast the dry orzo in butter or oil, then add warm broth in stages and stir as it is absorbed, the same way you would treat arborio rice. Because orzo finishes in about ten minutes rather than twenty, the whole thing goes much faster, and the starch it releases delivers a similar creaminess.
Where is Barilla pasta sold in the US actually made?
Most Barilla pasta for the North American market is produced at the company's own US plants in Ames, Iowa and Avon, New York. Barilla states that the equipment in those plants matches what it uses in Parma, Italy, and that the recipe is the same. Items that really are imported carry a Made in Italy or Product of Italy line on the box, so the packaging tells you which one you have.
Does orzo soak up all the broth in soup?
Orzo is a classic soup pasta, used in avgolemono and minestrone among others, but it does keep absorbing liquid as it sits. Adding it during the last ten minutes of simmering keeps it from going soft. For soup you plan to reheat over several days, cook the orzo separately and add it to each bowl, or expect leftovers to thicken and loosen them with extra broth.
How much dry orzo should I cook per person?
The 16 oz box is built around roughly eight servings of 2 oz dry, which is the standard pasta portion and comes to about a third of a cup. Orzo swells substantially as it cooks. For a main course most cooks go up to 3 or 4 oz per person, while 2 oz is about right for a side dish or a salad component.
Is this the same as Barilla's whole grain or protein lines?
No. Orzo here is one of the classic blue box shapes, made from durum wheat semolina and durum wheat flour and enriched the way the rest of that line is, and it is Non-GMO Project Verified and kosher certified. Barilla's whole grain, protein plus, chickpea and lentil pastas are separate lines with different formulations and different cooking behavior.
Do I need to rinse orzo after cooking?
It depends on the dish. For a hot preparation where sauce needs to cling, drain it and skip the rinse, since the surface starch helps the sauce grip. For a cold pasta salad, rinsing under cool water stops the cooking immediately and washes off the starch that would otherwise glue the grains together in the bowl.
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