Shrimp & Peppers Orzo

This is a perfect dinner for a hot night – simple and bright and full of flavor. While many say you don’t do cheese and shellfish – but those people are wrong! Yes, I would say cheddar and shellfish are a no-no. But lots of other cheeses are perfect with shellfish – especially goat cheese and shrimp. You get that tang which is similar to the tang of citrus that goes so well with shellfish. Shrimp & Peppers Orzo is a delightful weeknight meal the whole family will love.

Goat cheese is a very soft cheese that melts quickly. It makes a perfect quick sauce that just has to be stirred in to the mix to create a tasty dish. If you cannot find goat cheese (I get it from my Costco), you can substitute cream cheese or Ricotta cheese. But you will want to add a tablespoon or so of lemon juice to it so that you get the same tang.

This is a quick dish to pull together and the timing is crucial to success. You do not want to overcook the shrimp at all. Or let the bell pepper get past the point of still having a bite to them. I did make a quick focaccia-style bread to go with this dish. I just use a simple pizza dough recipe and top it with some oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Shrimp & Peppers Orzo

A bright and delightful veggie packed shrimp and pasta.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Seafood

Keyword bell peppers, goat cheese, lemon, orzo, Pasta, pasta dishes, shrimp, shrimp recipes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 lb Large Shrimp (Raw) peeled, deveined, tail-off
• 1 lb Orzo
• 1 Greean Bell Pepper diced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper diced
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper diced
• 1 White Onion diced
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 8 oz Goat Cheese crumbled
• 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Lemon zest & juice

Instructions

• Prepare all of the ingredients. Start water boiling for pasta.
• In a large saute pan, add butter, onion and garlic. Once melted add bell peppers sand saute for 4 minutes.
• Add orzo to boiling water and cook as directed on package. Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water.
• Add shrimp, red pepper flakes and salt to peppers. Cook for 7 minutes (until shrimp is no longer pink). Add orzo, lemon zest and juice to shrimp and peppers. Stir well and let cook 3 minutes. Add crumbled goat cheese and gently toss to combine (do not stir to vigorously).