My daughter loves to cook—truly loves it—and has collected more cookbooks than some libraries. Whenever we’re together, I always ask what she’s been making lately, hoping to discover something new and delicious from her kitchen. This is one of her go to’s
This recipe comes from one of her Milk Street cookbooks, and it’s one of those gems you keep coming back to. It comes together in about 30 minutes and feels just right for a warm summer evening—light, flavorful, and effortlessly satisfying.
Give it a try and serve it with your favorite dry white wine. 🍷 ~ Jolee
Start to finish 35 minutes || Servings 4
Pro Tip: Don’t use precrumbled feta, which lacks flavor. Instead, look for feta in block form and crumble it yourself. To retain the vibrant color of the spinach, don’t cover the saucepan after stirring the spinach and feta into the orzo. Lastly, don’t worry if the shrimp are underdone after searing—this is intentional. They’ll finish cooking in the sauce.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups orzo pasta
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 5-ounce container baby spinach
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
- 1 pound extra-large (21/25 per pound) shrimp, peeled (tails removed), deveined and patted dry
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Stir in the orzo and 1 tablespoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain and return the orzo to the pan. Stir in the spinach and about three-quarters of the feta; set aside uncovered.
- While heating the water and cooking the pasta, season the shrimp with salt and black pepper. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the shrimp in an even layer and cook without stirring until lightly browned on the bottoms, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a bowl, leaving the oil in the pan; set aside.
- Return the skillet to medium-high. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano and pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with juices and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir the shrimp and accumulated juices into the sauce, re-cover and let stand until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes.
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Pour the sauce over the orzo-spinach mixture in the saucepan. Stir to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed if the mixture looks dry. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl, then sprinkle with the remaining feta and drizzle with additional oil.
