Allergy friendly. cupcake happy!

One of the challenges for our busy family is coming up with easy meal ideas that are dairy-free. When you can’t use cheese, butter or cream soups, you’re forced to experiment with dairy-free substitutes and recipes.

This recipe is my family’s favorite. It is delicious (and I mean, really good!), healthy, easy to prepare, uses only one pan, and it is ready in 30 minutes. We love it with a lightly breaded oven-baked chicken breast (If I don’t have time to make my own breading seasoning, I use Bakin’ Miracle brand coating mix, which is dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free).

Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo
Serves 8 as a side dish

2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (2 turns of the pan)
2 T. dairy-free margarine (recommended: Earth Balance Soy-Free Vegan Buttery Spread)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 16 oz. box orzo pasta (see below for wheat-free option*)
2 cloves minced garlic
1/3 c. diced sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
3 – 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock or broth (I prefer the low sodium type)
1 8-10 oz. bag fresh baby spinach

Procedure:

1. In a very large pot, heat olive oil and margarine until margarine is melted.
2. Add onion. Sauté until translucent.
3. Add orzo and sauté until lightly browned.
4. Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Saute 1-2 minutes.
5. Add 3 cups stock and bring to a boil. Stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
6. Remove cover and stir. If more liquid is needed to steam the spinach, add more stock and stir.
7. Place spinach on top of orzo mixture and replace cover. Allow spinach to steam over low heat for an additional 10 minutes.
8. Stir spinach into the orzo until evenly incorporated.

* For a wheat-free option, substitute quinoa for the orzo. I have made the recipe for my gluten-free friends using quinoa and it turns out great.