What you've been waiting for!

I know everyone has been on pins and needles waiting for my next recipe post! Right?! Well, whatever - here it is anyway! I decided to make this on Saturday night when I didn't know what else to make and I had nothing thawed. It was an amazing dish! I highly recommend it!! I apologize, but we were so ravenous that we ate the meal before I remembered to take a photo. Use your imagination!

Baked Orzo with Shrimp
Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• pinch of dried hot red pepper flakes (or more to your taste!)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1/2 can (28- to 32-oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound large shrimp (about 18), shelled and deveined (I used about 22 shrimp and could have even used more. Don't be shy about the shrimp!)
• 8 ounces orzo
• kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 pound feta, patted dry and crumbled (1 1/2 cups) (I used an entire container from Publix)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil.
2. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and salt, then reduce heat and simmer briskly, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir shrimp into sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes. (since I bought my shrimp the way I did, they were already cooked, so I just needed to heat them up a tad).
3. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, then drain orzo VERY carefully (a fine-mesh sieve helps). Return orzo to pot and toss with remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil.
4. Add orzo into sauce with shrimp and mix gently. Add reserved cooking water as needed (I didn't feel this was really necessary and only used maybe 2 tablespoons). Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
5. Spoon half of pasta into prepared baking dish, then sprinkle with half of feta. Top with remaining pasta and feta, then bake in middle of oven, uncovered, until cheese is slightly melted and pasta is heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Like I said before, this dish was amazing! It had so much taste! Jeremy and I both loved it. For the shrimp, I bought the frozen bagged shrimp at Publix, where the shrimp are already shelled deveined (seriously, I am NOT cut out for that type of work!). As I started making this dish, I was like "Oh crap! The shrimp are still in the freezer!" So I remove them and start reading the directions to dethaw. Well of course it says that it is best to dethaw overnight. But, me being the complete non-planner that I am, did not do this and my tomato sauce was already on the stove boiling, and my orzo was 8 minutes away from being done. I started to panic! What now??? Luckily, there was another method of dethawing these little babies - run cold water on them for, guess how long? That's right 8-10 minutes! I couldn't have planned it any better. Ok, well maybe I could have, but that's not the point. So I ran my shrimp under cold water and then removed the tails (because, unfortunately, you cannot buy the shrimp detailed). And they were ready to go in the tomato sauce. Perfect! I even ate a few extra shrimp and they were delicious! Note to self: Publix shrimp are delicious and would be perfect for a dinner party appetizer!

And, yes, I used a lot of feta, but really, you can't go wrong with feta. It's delicious and one of the better cheeses out there for you (sort of . . .). And for all of you calorie nazis out there, just suck it up and buy the real feta for this recipe - it melts much better and makes the recipe delicious!

Enjoy!