Instant Pot Greek Orzo

With a cooking time of three minutes in your instant pot or pressure cooker and ingredients that you might already have in your cupboard, this Mediterranean-influenced meal couldn’t be easier.  This dish is delicious, served hot or cold, making it a refreshing lunch or dinner recipe served all year round.  Add your favorite toppings- like feta cheese or fresh dill to pump up the flavor.  

I love cooking grains in my Instant Pot, including pasta.  It takes just a few minutes to pressure cook an entire pasta meal filled with tons of flavor!  This Instant Pot Orzo recipe has all of my favorite Greek flavors.  This meal can be eaten hot or cold as an orzo pasta salad! It just takes THREE minutes to cook orzo in your pressure cooker!  I have just a few ingredients listed in this recipe, but you can add more flavor if you like!

This can be served as a main dish or a side dish.  You can also add shrimp or chicken breasts on top or another protein.   This meal has a super low prep time but delivers huge flavor!    The total time for this meal is less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients Needed 

2 tablespoons Olive OIl or butter

1/2 Onion, chopped

Two garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp Oregano

Cavender’s Greek Seasoning 

3 1/2 cups of water.  You can also use chicken broth

1 16 ounces package of Orzo

14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes

1/4  cup sliced kalamata olives

Two tablespoons of brine from the jar of kalamata olives

Two tablespoons of crumbled feta cheese

Two tablespoons of fresh dill

Optional Ingredients: to add for more flavor, consider lemon juice, parsley, parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes to taste, tzatziki sauce, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, or fresh basil

Again, I want to stress the THREE-minute cook time on this recipe.  It is so swift and easy, the perfect meal to make when you’re in a time crunch.

The cooking process is Straightforward!

Instructions

1. Select the sauté button and let the pot heat up for two minutes.
2. Add olive oil, onion, garlic, Greek Seasoning and saute for two minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
3. Add water, orzo, tomatoes, kalamata olives, and olive brine. Stir before cooking, making sure the pasta is completely submerged in water.
4. Secure lid and seal the pressure release valve to the sealing position.  Cook on high pressure for three minutes. Quick-release to vent the pressure, remove the lid, and hit cancel.
5. Top with additional kalamata olives, feta cheese, and dill.

If you like this recipe, you should also try

Chicken Gyro Soup

Ground Beef Gyros

Crispy Greek Potatoes 

Minted Carrots