ONE-POT ORZO WITH PEAS AND PARMESAN

Makes: 4 servings as a main dish; 6 as a side

½ medium yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1 medium lemon

1 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about ¾ cup or scant ½ cup store-bought grated), plus more for serving if desired

1 2 ounces dried orzo pasta (about generous 1 ½ cups)

1 (3 2 -ounce) box low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

¾ cup frozen peas Coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish (optional)

1 . Dice ½ medium yellow onion (about 1 cup). Mince 3 garlic cloves.

2 . Melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon of the kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as needed so the onions don’t burn, until very soft and light golden brown, about 1 0 minutes.

3 . Meanwhile, finely grate the zest of 1 medium lemon (about 1 ½ packed teaspoons), then juice half the lemon. If needed, finely grate 1 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese (about ¾ loosely packed cup), plus more for serving if desired.

4. Add the garlic and 1 2 ounces orzo to the pot and cook until fragrant and toasty-smelling, about 2 minutes. Add 1 box broth and the remaining ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

5 . Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring frequently to keep the orzo from sticking, until the orzo is tender and almost all of the liquid is absorbed, 1 0 to 1 2 minutes. If the orzo has absorbed all the liquid before it is ready, add water 2 tablespoons at a time as needed.

6 . Remove from the heat. Add ¾ cup frozen peas and the Parmesan, and stir until the peas are just heated through and the cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the lemon zest and 2 teaspoon of the lemon juice. Taste and season with more lemon juice and kosher salt as needed. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and more Parmesan cheese, if desired.