Creamy Mediterranean Orzo with Whipped Feta and Garlic Bread Crumbs

I absolutely love making this mediterranean orzo as a quick weeknight meal. Normally I just cube up the feta and toss it together, but I wanted to switch things up and whipped the feta so when it’s mixed with the orzo and vegetables it gets so creamy and then sprinkled with toasted garlic bread crumbs for that added crunch. I hope you love it!

Mediterranean Orzo

• 1 lb. dried orzo
• 1 (8 oz) jar quartered qrtichokes
• 1 cup pitted Kalmata olives
• 1 lemon zested
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• salt and black pepper
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes

Whipped Feta

• 1 block feta
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Garlic Bread Crumbs

• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 3-4 thyme sprigs

Directions

Starting with the orzo, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the orzo and cook for about 10 minutes until al-dente.

While the orzo is cooking, heat up a medium saute pan over medium high heat with a little bit of oil. When it gets really hot, add in the cherry tomatoes and let them just blister and soften for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and then pour them into a large mixing bowl. Add in the artichokes and olives. Once the orzo is cooked, drain the orzo and add it into the mixing bowl. Add in the lemon juice and zest, olive oil and season good with salt and pepper. Mix in the basil leave and toss it all together.

Whipped Feta- In a food processor with a metal blade attachment, add the feta and the heavy cream and lemon juice and whip it all together. Making sure to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Whip it until it’s really smooth and creamy.

Garlic Bread Crumbs- In a medium saute pan heat the olive oil and butter together over medium heat just until melted. Add in the bread crumbs, garlic and thyme. Stirring constantly making sure not to burn the bottom bread crumbs. Let them cook for about 5 minutes just until they get toasted.

To assemble- on serving plates, spoon the whipped feta onto the bottom of the plate and then spoon the mediterranean orzo over the top and sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs over the top and garnish with basil.