Cheesy Orzo with Basil (otherwise known as pasta crack)

Last week I got a beautiful fresh basil plant that filled up my kitchen with it's sweet smell in no time flat.  The leaves on the plant are huge and just looking at it makes me want to cook.  My problem, I haven't used fresh herbs all that much in my cooking.  Solution, find some new recipes.

I found this recipe on www.allrecipes.com but made quite a few changes to it..mostly in order to lower the fat content.  It uses orzo which is not a pasta I use often (probably because it is not one of Joe's favorite) and doesn't actually have that many ingredients.  When I am looking for new recipes, it isn't a requirement that they only have a few ingredients, but it is certainly a plus.  Recipes with fewer ingredients have fewer steps which makes it more likely that I will actually have time to make it.

I LOVED this pasta!! (hence, my above reference comparing it to crack)  It was kind of creamy like macaroni and cheese, but didn't taste like it came out of a blue box.  (disclaimer...I like mac and cheese out of a blue box, it just isn't so good for me...and it wouldn't be something I would serve anyone but Joe).  Speaking of Joe...he didn't think it was bad, but he didn't think it was great.  And I quote, "I wouldn't ask for it, but I would eat it if you served it."  Well, I will be serving it and if he decides for some reason not to eat it that just means more for me!!!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1 can fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in pot over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.
2. Stir in chicken stock and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
3. Mix in parmesan cheese and basil.

Yeah, it was that easy...and it was amazing.