One of my favorite things about this mushroom asparagus orzo is the “flavour shot” we add at the end. A whisked mixture of miso, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard is stirred in right before serving. It’s a simple, certified pro move that lifts the whole dish and I’ve been copying it into recipes ever since. As one reader put it, her partner “wouldn’t let her move from the table” until she’d saved it to their regular rotation. Serve this with a side of my no-knead whole wheat bread for scooping up every last bit of the creamy sauce.
The ingredient list looks long but there are a lot of pantry-friendly things in there. Mushrooms and asparagus are simply sautéed and set aside while we build the orzo base. The base is leeks (so underrated!), garlic, capers, and some spices. Saffron goes in with the liquid for a subtle floral note and a beautiful golden color.
The orzo absorbs the liquid as it cooks, risotto-style, which means you’ll be stirring pretty much constantly once the liquid goes in. The rice shaped pasta does tend to stick to the bottom of the pot if left alone.
The whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes and makes excellent next-day lunch leftovers. The orzo will continue to absorb liquid as it sits. I recommend reheating leftovers with a hearty splash of vegetable stock or water to get that saucy texture going.
Creamy Mushroom Asparagus Orzo
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons light miso
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- ⅓ lb (151 grams) asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 2-inch pieces
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ lb (227 grams) cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large leek (light green and white part only), halved and chopped (about 1 ½ cups chopped leeks total)
- 1 tablespoon capers, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon dried ground chillies or chili flakes (optional)
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy cream (see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- vegan "parmesan" for serving (optional)
Notes
- Delallo makes a great gluten-free orzo that would substitute perfectly here.
- If you don’t have saffron on hand, just leave it out! Nothing really substitutes for that flavour, but the orzo will still be delicious without it.
- A handful of chopped spinach or arugula wilted into the orzo at the end would be great if you’re looking to add some greens.
- In terms of unsweetened, dairy-free cream, I like the almond and coconut one by nutpods and the “heavy cream” option by Silk. You can also make your own by blending ⅓ cup cashews and ⅔ cup water in a high speed blender.
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the miso, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. If you can't get the miso lumps out, just add a splash of hot water from the tap and whisk again. Set this mixture aside.
- Place a deep skillet or braiser-style pot over medium heat. Once the pot is hot, pour in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and swirl it around. Add the asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Sauté asparagus until bright green and slightly tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked asparagus to a plate and return the pot to the stove.
- Pour another teaspoon of olive oil into the pot and stir it around. Add the mushrooms to the pot and let them sit for 1 full minute. Stir them up and let them sit for another full minute. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and keep sautéing until slightly browned and tender, another minute. Transfer the cooked mushrooms to the plate with the asparagus.
- Give the pot a quick wipe and return it to the stove over medium heat. Pour in the remaining olive oil and swirl it around. Add the leeks and stir. Sauté the leeks until very tender, about 3 minutes. If they begin to brown on the edges, lower the heat.
- Add the capers, garlic, nutritional yeast, and chillies (if using) to the pot and stir. Keep stirring until very fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the orzo to the pot and stir to coat in the leeks and seasoning.
- Add the vegetable stock, the non-dairy cream, and saffron to the pot and stir. Bring the orzo to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until the orzo is plumped up and a lot of the liquid is absorbed, about 10-11 minutes. I recommend stirring pretty much constantly as the orzo does tend to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Stir the peas, fresh dill, cooked asparagus, and mushrooms into the orzo. Also add the reserved miso, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard mixture. Keep stirring as the orzo simmers for another minute. Taste for seasoning one more time. If you find that the orzo is sopping up the liquid too quickly, just add a few splashes of water to "cream" it back up.
- Serve the orzo hot with vegan "parmesan" on top if you like.
Hi! I’d love to add some chickpeas to this dish for a bit more protein, similar to how you do in this recipe: https://thefirstmess.com/2024/08/14/spiced-coconut-couscous-roasted-cauliflower-chickpeas/
Would I need to adjust the amount of broth or cream I use to do this? Many thanks in advance—love your recipes!
Hi Allison!
I would add an additional 1/2 cup of vegetable stock if you’re using chickpeas (I’m assuming roughly 1 1/2-2 cups?)/
-L
Thank you!
Absolutely delicious- many thanks, I halved as only 2 of us but will definitely make again so good!
OMG! This is soooo good! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I have made this now several times and I absolutely LOVE this! It’s an easier recipe ands loads of interesting flavors!
I made this for dinner last night. I used grain free (Jovial, cassava flour) orzo and plain oat milk. It was delicious and received raves from everyone. I tend to go heavy on the veggies, and used some beautiful shiitakes that we grew in our garden. Fantastic!
Hi Barbara! I’m so glad to hear that this recipe worked with grain-free orzo. I know that this information will be helpful to folks looking at this recipe in the future, so thank you!
-L
This was absolutely delicious. My husband asked me to please add the recipe into our normal rotation!
easier to make than expected and so so good! I used grain free Orzo.
Made this over the weekend and it was delicious! I couldn’t find orzo at my local store so substituted a smaller pasta variety and it worked great.
Just made this today. It is chef’s kiss delicious! Excellent recipe. Thank you !
This was so good! Craving spring flavours but currently in a blizzard so this hit the spot. Didn’t feel like making a cashew cream and happened to have some of the Pacific Creamy Garlic broth so I used that as both the cream and broth. Will make again!!
Great recipe. I substituted edamame for the peas and it worked out perfectly.
This was fantastic! My SO wouldn’t let me move from the table until I saved it and put it into our rotation! I didn’t have leeks so I subbed scallions and onions. I should have doubled this recipe
This was the perfect meal to make on a night when the weather has gotten a little cooler. Used cashew cream and followed the recipe exactly… worked out SO WELL! I am loving all of your recipes
Not exactly what you are looking for but I just picked up Tricolor Pearl Couscous from my Oshawa Costco. It’s combined with whole wheat orzo, yellow split peas and quinoa.
I don’t know how you do it, but every recipe you post is so yummy!! I haven’t even finished cooking this dish, it is still on the stove. But the preliminary taste confirms it is another winner. I cant wait for it to be done! I have eaten meat for 60 years and it wasnt until the pandemic that we have decided to move to a plant based diet. I thought it would be difficult, but with recipes like yours, it is so enjoyable. And so fun to try different methods and ingredients. We are converts, no question.
made this tonight and was hard to stop eating. Totally delicious!
Made this tonight and it was delicious. I forgot to leave time to make cashew cream so I used coconut milk for the cream component and it worked well. Thanks for the recipe!
This is on my list to make this weekend. You were missed, Laura, & I’m happy you’re back and hopefully refreshed.
Looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. Hope you’re doing well sweet thing!