With caramelised leeks, our crispy Double Smoked British Streaky Bacon and fresh peas, this creamy orzo recipe is the ultimate pasta with bacon recipe to try this Summer. Our smoked British bacon is brilliant for adding extra depth to this orzo recipe, perfectly balanced by the sweet leeks and peas!
Bacon & Leek Orzo
Recipe Details
Ingredients
- 15g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 2 leeks, washed, trimmed and finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
- 300g orzo pasta
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 200g fresh or frozen peas
- 50g parmesan, finely grated
- 12 rashers of The Jolly Hog Smoked Streaky Bacon
- Pea shoots, for garnish
Method
- Start this leek and bacon orzo recipe by melting the butter with the oil in a large, high sided frying pan over a medium-low heat. Soften the leeks with the garlic and thyme for 8-10 mins until soft and translucent.
- Stir in the orzo pasta to coat in the buttery leeks and allow to toast for 1 min. Pour over most of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook gently for 12-15 mins, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium. Cook our British bacon until crispy and golden. This will be the perfect crunchy topper for this bacon pasta recipe.
- When the pasta is nearly cooked, add the peas, stir and cook for a final 2-3 mins. Pour in a little more chicken stock to loosen if needed.
- Remove from the heat, add most of the parmesan with a drizzle of olive oil. Gently stir and season to taste.
- Serve the orzo finished with an extra grating of parmesan and top with the crispy bacon plus a few fresh pea shoots