One Pot Tomato, Basil, Shrimp with Orzo
Shrimp is a powerhouse
One pot meals are a ‘thing’ for a reason. Why doesn’t love the ease of prep, ingredient-swaps, then ease of clean-up of a one pot meal.
In the case of this recipe for One Pot Tomato, Basil, Shrimp and Orzo, we get protein, starch, and vegetable all into one pot, and the flavors go way beyond many one pot meals.
Prep your shrimp ahead for time-savings
Frozen shrimp can be a protein-rich, low calorie way to make any meal seem special. The whole trick is to make sure the moisture has left the shrimp after thawing.
So, put your shrimp into a colander, run cold water over it until it’s mostly thawed, 5-ish. minutes. Then, leave the colander in the sink to fully drain for another five minutes.
Once it’s well-drained, layer the shrimp between paper towels and place in a plastic bag or into a storage container. Press any air out the of bag to ensure paper towel is against shrimp. Refrigerate.
You can do this today, for dinner tomorrow. Or, you can do it hours before you’re ready to cook.
The power of planning ahead
We can’t and don’t plan ahead, all the time. But shrimp is a perfect excuse to mobilize your plans the day before so you can follow the above prep with your shrimp.
In addition to producing shrimp that are nearly crisp, instead of mushy, you can greatly shave time off of pre-meal prep. If you do this here, dinner can be on the table in 30 easy minutes. And it’s so good!
Equipment
- 1 Broiler-proof skillet with lid. Foil works as a lid in a pinch, too.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 c grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2-1 tsp sugar
- 3/4 lb orzo, white or whole wheat
- 3- 1/4 c low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 c fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Place rack in top position. In a large broiler-proof skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic about 1 minute. Increase heat to high and add tomatoes and sugar. Season with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until softened. This will take roughly l6 minutes. Add orzo and broth and bring to a simmer. Cover, transfer to oven and bake for roughly 12 minutes, or until liquid is mostly absorbed.
- Meanwhile, toss shrimp with 2 tsp olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Remove skillet from oven and place shrimp on top of orzo. Heat broiler. Broil until shrimp are opaque through, roughly 4-5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with basil.
