Eating healthfully doesn't have to be tasteless or predictable (aka the ubiquitous boneless, skinless chicken breast...zzz! ). You can jazz up any low-fat meat or fish with a flavorful side like this offering from Melissa Clark of the NYT Cooking section. It's a riff on Spanakorizo, a classic Greek spinach-rice dish. Made with orzo pasta instead of rice, this meatless recipe is loaded with spinach (so much that at first you'll think it's too much) and peas, and topped with tangy feta cheese and fresh dill. It all cooks together in one pan, which simplifies clean-up.
You can enjoy this as a complete meal, add drained cannellini beans to give it extra protein, or serve it as-is as a hearty side dish with your choice of meat or fish. Here's to a healthy, flavor-packed 2025.
1 Tbsp. butter
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz. baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup uncooked orzo
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup crumbled low-fat feta cheese
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed (optional)
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat and melt butter. Stir in 3/4 of the scallions (saving some of the green parts for garnish) and garlic, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
Stir in spinach, adding it in batches if it doesn't all fit in the pan at once, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes.
Stir in broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in orzo, lemon zest and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until orzo is nearly cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 14 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Stir in peas and top with the feta cheese and dill. Cover the pan to finish cooking and warm the peas. Sprinkle with reserved scallions and serve.
Serves 4
WW Points per serving: 8