We are famous for our skillet dinners, and this one pan Creamy Tomato Orzo with Ground Beef is a perfect weeknight staple. It’s a comforting, cozy one pan skillet meal that is perfect for any season. The orzo becomes perfectly tender and infused with beefy flavor as it cooks alongside a tomato broth mixture, and adding a little bit of sour cream makes this dish full of flavor and comfort.

About This Recipe

I often find myself with a pound of ground beef, and not sure what to do with it. My usual rotation involves burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf, but sometimes I just want to throw everything in a pan, and make an easy, comforting dinner. Orzo dishes are perfect for that. You can switch things up with the ingredients as you like, but the ratio of 1 part orzo, to 2 parts liquid remains consistent!

Ingredients for Tomato Orzo with Ground Beef

Orzo
Ground Beef
Onion
Tomato Sauce
Beef Stock
Heavy Cream
Salt
Pepper
Granulated Garlic
Italian Seasoning
Parmesan Cheese

Making Orzo with Ground Beef

The first step is to brown the beef first, then add the diced onions. Once the onions are translucent, add the seasonings.
Onions have a high water content, so by browning the beef first, you’ll get a better flavor, and the onions will cook in the drippings, giving a better result. If you cook the onions first, the ground beef will simply steam. The goal here is to get as much flavor into the beef before it cooks in the tomato sauce with the orzo.
Ground beef cooked well makes for such a rich, savory flavor when it’s paired with orzo!
After adding the onions, add in the tomato paste, and stir it in with the ground beef/onion mixture until fully incorporated.
Add the orzo, and let it sauté in the pan for about 3-4 minutes before adding the tomato sauce and chicken stock.
Reduce the heat to low, and place lid on the pan. Allow for it to cook
then add 2 tbsp of heavy whipping cream to make this dish creamy and delicious.

Easy Orzo Dinner with Beef: Tips, Tricks & Substitutions

This one pan dinner cooks all of the boxes. It’s hearty, easy, and my favorite part? It’s a one pan dinner recipe I love, and anything with less dishes to do makes my heart sing. I mean, who doesn’t love a creamy combination of orzo, ground beef and tomatoes? It’s total comfort food. Here’s a few tips, tricks and substitutions if you want to make this one!

Tips:

Brown the ground beef well. You’ll want a nice brown to it for the best flavor before you add in the onions, which will absorb that flavor.
- You can use ground turkey or ground chicken for this recipe, as well.
I like to use petite diced tomatoes, but you could also use fire roasted tomatoes, too!
Make sure to use a skillet with a lid when you make this recipe, it will help retain the steam so the orzo cooks evenly.
If you want to make this a little spicy, you can add in some red chili flakes. I recommend 1/2 tsp at a time with the broth so the orzo absorbs the flavor.

If you have leftovers, simply store them in a lidded container and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can microwave the leftovers in a microwave save dish for about 2-3 minutes at a time, stirring in 30 second intervals.

More Recipes with Orzo

Let’s eat!

Kathi and Rachel

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