Marsala Orzo

John and I go out to dinner every Friday. There is nothing more relaxing to me than a nice dinner out after working all week. It's a nice chance for us to catch up, chat, and be waited on. However a couple weeks ago we had a wedding to go to Saturday night so I figured I'd make dinner at home on Friday. I wanted to make something more decadent and exciting and went with a delicious chicken recipe I learned in my cooking school and this orzo that I made up to use some veggies I had on hand. I love cooking with marsala wine. There is something about the flavor of marsala paired with mushrooms that is just so tasty! This orzo was seriously a treat. It had a really creamy taste without much cream. While it doesn't replace parmesan orzo as my favorite side dish it is certainly a contender and I will make this again. Yum yum yum.

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:

1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup baby spinach, sliced into ribbons
1/2 cup orzo
1/4 cup marsala wine
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp. light cream
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Pepper
Cooking spray

Directions:
1- Spray a small skillet with cooking spray. Add the mushrooms, cook 3-4 minutes or until almost done. Add the spinach ribbons, stirring constantly until the spinach wilts down.
2- Remove the veggies to a small dish, set aside.
3- Spray the same skillet with cooking spray. Add the orzo and stir frequently until some of the pasta starts to turn golden.
4- Add the marsala wine, stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth.
5- Lower the heat and allow the pasta to cook until most of the chicken broth is absorbed. Add the light cream. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
6- Stir the veggies back in and allow it to all heat together for about 2-3 minutes.

** 3 points for 1/3 of the recipe