Orzo Stuffing Recipe (2025)

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5 stars (4 reviews)

40 minutes mins

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A fabulous holiday stuffing recipe made with orzo pasta instead of day old bread. Just the thing to give your stuffing recipe a little dose of intrigue this year.

It pains me to say this, but it has come to my immediate attention (after a very official survey on my Facebook page late one night) that approximately 20% of you don’t like Thanksgiving stuffing because of the texture.

As stuffing is my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner, my head is hanging in sadness.

In fact, to further explain my attachment to stuffing, let me just say my older sister tells stories about how I use to talk about stuffing in my sleep when I was a little girl. It is very special to me.

So today I’d like to reach out to those of you who don’t have the same appreciation for stuffing that I do, and offer a compromise…

Our Orzo Stuffing Recipe!

If wet-bread texture is troubling to you, this stuffing recipe is the solution.

Using DeLallo Pasta in the orzo stuffing recipe creates a lovely firm yet fluffy texture, instead of the moist dense stuffing that the other 80% of us love.

After experimenting with this, I have to tell you, this might be my new favorite stuffing recipe. The piece-y texture and light pasta flavor means the other ingredients really shine through. You get the savory-sweet pop from sautéed apples, celery, carrots and onions, along with rich salty bits of crisp bacon.

Plus the shape and size of my favorite orzo, DeLallo Orzo Number 65, is not only visually appealing, it makes it easy to scoop, serve, and stuff.

If you like to fill your bird with stuffing on Thanksgiving, you could most definitely use this orzo stuffing recipe in it! Wouldn’t your turkey look beautiful with this colorful orzo cascading out?

I think so.

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5 stars (4 reviews)

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Orzo Stuffing Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

A fabulous holiday stuffing recipe made with orzo pasta instead of day-old bread.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

1 pound DeLallo Orzo Pasta
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced carrots
1 1/2 cups diced apple
12 ounces chopped bacon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

Instructions

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook the orzo according to the DeLallo package instructions and drain, saving 1 cup of the pasta water for later use. (If you plan to use this stuffing in a bird, undercook the pasta a little bit.)
Meanwhile, place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon to the skillet and brown until just cooked through. Then add the celery, onions and carrots to the skillet and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the apples, stir and saute another 2-3 minutes until soft, but firm.
Now mix in the cooked orzo and sage. Toss well and add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to help the flavors mingle. Toss and cook another 1-2 minutes, using more pasta water if needed. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 556kcal, Carbohydrates: 67g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 409mg, Potassium: 465mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 3695IU, Vitamin C: 5.2mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 1.5mg

Course: Holiday, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Author: Sommer Collier

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Christmas Holiday Side Dishes Thanksgivingbacon carrots celery onions orzo Pasta sage

posted by Sommer Collier on Nov 22, 2013 (last updated Jun 17, 2019)

26 comments Leave a comment »

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26 comments on “Savory Orzo Stuffing”

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Shaina — November 27, 2013 @ 9:44 pm Reply
I love the idea of doing all the stuffing flavors but without the soggy bread. I can’t wait to try this!
Nutmeg Nanny — November 26, 2013 @ 1:51 pm Reply
Oh my, I love this stuffing recipe :) perfect twist on a classic

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Russell at chasingdelicious.com — November 25, 2013 @ 2:38 pm Reply
Yum and yum!
Megan {Country Cleaver} — November 25, 2013 @ 11:41 am Reply
I can just eat this with a spoon right ? I don’t want anything else getting in the way of me and that orzo but a fork!!
marla — November 25, 2013 @ 7:46 am Reply
Such a great twist on traditional stuffing!
Kevin @ Closet Cooking — November 24, 2013 @ 5:21 pm Reply
Nice orzo stuffing!
Julie @ Table for Two — November 24, 2013 @ 10:20 am Reply
Seriously so creative!!! I LOVE that you used orzo for this stuffing!!
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen — November 23, 2013 @ 12:45 pm Reply
This looks amazing. I love the bacon and sage together!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) — November 22, 2013 @ 5:30 pm Reply
I love orzo, wonderful stuffing idea!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles — November 22, 2013 @ 2:19 pm Reply
What a fun way to mix it up for Thanksgiving!!
Cassie — November 22, 2013 @ 3:04 pm Reply
What an amazing stuffing recipe!!
DeLallo Foods — November 22, 2013 @ 8:45 am Reply
This looks delicious, Sommer! Perfect for the holiday season! Thanks for featuring our orzo!
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living — November 22, 2013 @ 8:43 am Reply
What a beautiful simple stuffing alternative Sommer – love the bright veggies!
Jay — November 22, 2013 @ 8:27 am Reply
Any ideas on a good substitute for the bacon? Other than that may fix it today….
- Sommer — November 22, 2013 @ 8:39 am Reply
  Jay in my mind, nothing compares to bacon. Are you looking for a meatless substitute or a pork-free substitute?
  You could make it with chicken sausage, or even try turkey or soy bacon.
Heather Christo — November 22, 2013 @ 8:18 am Reply
I LOVE this idea in place of bread- beautiful dish sommer!
Stacy — November 22, 2013 @ 8:17 am Reply
O.M.G. My mouth is watering! You just added a new twist to our Thanksgiving. Wonderful!
Marian (Sweetopia) — November 22, 2013 @ 8:08 am Reply
Looks soo good! Wish this was my lunch today!
Jenny Flake — November 22, 2013 @ 8:03 am Reply
What a fun way to switch up stuffing! I want some!!
Maria — November 22, 2013 @ 7:54 am Reply
Love DeLallo’s orzo! Great way to switch up the traditional stuffing!
Shari — November 22, 2013 @ 8:43 am Reply
This looks delicious, and great presentation dish. The colors are gorgeous.!
xoxo ~Shari
http://www.pinkblotmom.com
Tieghan — November 22, 2013 @ 7:39 am Reply
This looks good good, Sommer! I love the idea of using orzo instead of bread! My family is actually not real big on traditional stuffing so this is perfect!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl — November 22, 2013 @ 8:29 am Reply
I love this version of stuffing!!! I could eat this any day of the year!
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