Mexican Confetti Orzo

(6)
  • Minutes to Prepare:
  • Minutes to Cook:
  • Number of Servings: 6
Ingredients
10 ounces orzo1 red bell pepper, diced1 can (10 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed1 tablespoon olive oil3/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
1. Cook orzo according to package directions; drain.

2. Meanwhile, toss bell pepper, black beans, corn, oil, salt, and cayenne together in a large serving bowl. Add orzo to bowl and toss to combine. Serve immediately.


Per serving: Calories 260, fat 3.5 g, saturated fat 0 g, cholesterol 0 mg, sodium 410 mg, carbohydrate 48 g, fiber 4 g, protein 9 g.

ABOUT PASTA
Nutritional power of pasta
Pasta is a low-fat protein source and the inspiration for countless quick, healthful meals. Most dried pastas are enriched with B vitamins and iron.

People used to think that pasta was fattening, but only the sauce can make it a high-fat dish. A cup of plain cooked pasta contains less than 1 gram of fat.

Did you know?...
The most nutritious pastas are made from semolina, a coarse flour ground from durum wheat. Durum is a hard grain that has a higher protein content than other types of wheat.

Look for
For the best texture, choose a brand of pasta made from pure semolina. This includes most imported and many domestic brands.

Basic cooking
Cook pasta in plenty of boiling water to keep it from sticking together. Add the pasta all at once, stir briefly, and return the water to a boil. Time the cooking from the second boil. Test the pasta for doneness a little sooner than the package directions recommend (overcooking ruins pasta), and drain immediately when it is firm-tender (al dente) to the bite.

ABOUT BEANS
Nutritional power of beans
The unbeatable bean is a great low-fat, high-fiber protein source that's rich in folate (and other B vitamins) as well as minerals, including iron and potassium.

"This is a wonderful QUICK meal! It takes about 15 minutes start to finish. I like it with a tortilla on the side. My daughter likes it inside the tortilla -- like a healthy burrito."


"The Mexican Confetti Orzo was delicious! To give it a little zip, I topped off my serving with a tablespoon of taco sauce. If you haven't tried it, plan on doing so."


"The first time I tried Mexican Confetti Orzo, I liked it. Then I tried it again, but this time, I jazzed it up a bit. I added some vegetable broth to the cooking water for the orzo. It was FABULOUS. The extra calories from the broth was 5 per serving!

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user TABBYKAT75.

Servings Per Recipe: 6
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 106.1
  • Total Fat: 0.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
  • Sodium: 0.0 mg
  • Total Carbs: 20.7 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 1.0 g
  • Protein: 3.5 g

Member Reviews
  • ROSSYFLOSSY
    Flavorful recipe. - 1/7/21
  • CD6913562
    Very enjoyable! - 6/25/20
  • MIRDREAMS
    Whole grain orzo helps boast the fiber content of this dish. - 8/28/11
  • CACTUSHUGGER
    I added some salsa after the orzo to make it really Mexican-flavored. Delicious!! - 7/8/11
  • KGOMKE
    sounds yummy cant wait to make thinking of adding in some cumin and green onions to bump up flav :) - 3/10/11
  • BLACKCANARYBABE
    Is it funny how everyone want to tell you how to make it better? Well this is a perfect have as it is dish and as a add more just you like dish. I can think of a lot of different way to change it up so the family is not board, yet it is perfect as is. - 6/9/09
  • ALIBALI189
    i added chicken for more protein and then topped it with some sour cream and salsa, it was really good! can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch. - 5/22/08
  • 1KKATT
    I used kidney beans. Cooked the orzo in veggie broth. Put beans, corn and green pepper in another pot and transferred some of the broth from the orzo to the veggies/ beans. Once slightly cooked, drained orzo, added bean/veggies. Added spices and put on a tortilla. VERY good. - 4/4/08
  • MOMMYONTHEGO
    This is a nice versatile recipe. I enjoyed it inside a whole wheat tortilla. I added some spices to mine to give it a bit more flavor. My kids liked it as is. - 3/4/08
  • BLOCK128
    I AM GOING TO MAKE THIS. HOWEVER, THE NUTRITIONAL INFO ON THE SIDE IS DIFFERENT THAN IN THE RECIPE. BOTH SAY 6 SERVINGS. I CALCULATED IT FROM SCRATCH AND WAS CLOSER TO THE NUTRIONAL INFO IN THE RECIPE. - 1/15/08
  • MELISS08
    Loved this! I would make it again and probably add more veggies to it, like halved cherry tomatoes. Delish! - 1/10/08
  • BIGCHEFMAR53
    very good - 1/3/08
  • PHATGURL09
    Good - 1/3/08
  • FATKAT2008
    Purrrfect - 1/3/08