Backpacking Recipes with Orzo

Orzo is a versatile little pasta you can use in dehydrated backpacking meals to add variety to your trail menu. Substitute it for other types of pasta or rice in backpacking recipes—Chili Mac becomes Chili Orzo.

This page features several backpacking recipes with orzo, as well as instructions for dehydrating orzo to use in hot or cold-soak dehydrated meals.

Photo: Orzo with Chicken, Peas & Mushrooms in Cheese Sauce.

First, we’ll cover how to cook and dehydrate orzo by itself, followed by recipes where you cook and dry whole orzo meals.

Cooking & Dehydrating Orzo

Orzo may be cooked like rice, where no water is drained off, or it can be cooked like pasta, where more water is used and discarded after the orzo is cooked. I’ll demonstrate both methods and explain the pros and cons.

Photo: Cooking orzo like rice in a nonstick pan.

Cooking & Dehydrating Orzo like Rice

The advantage of cooking orzo like rice is that you can cook it in vegetable or chicken broth, which will add more flavor to any backpacking meal that the orzo is used in.

The possible disadvantage is that when you cook orzo like rice, it retains all the starch, which results in orzo which sticks to itself when you dehydrate it.

Orzo Cooking Instructions – Rice Style

To cook orzo like rice, use a 2 to 1 ratio of liquid to orzo. Because of the starch, cooking in a nonstick pan works best.

Cook Time: 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups orzo (350 g)
• 4 cups liquid (946 ml)

For cooking liquid, use plain water seasoned with bullion, or low-fat vegetable, chicken, or beef broth.

Cooked Yield: 2 cups (350 g) of orzo yields 4½ cups cooked orzo (1015 g).

Dried Yield: 4½ cups of cooked orzo yields 3 cups of dried orzo (336 g).

Cooking Procedure:

Bring liquid and orzo to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium and maintain a gentle simmer for five minutes.

Reduce heat to the lowest setting at five minutes, stir orzo, and cover pan.

At eight minutes, turn off stove and let orzo sit for two more minutes with the lid on.

After 10–12 minutes, all liquid will have been absorbed.

Dehydrating Orzo Cooked like Rice

Two cups of orzo cooked like rice yields about 4½ cups cooked orzo.

To minimize orzo drying in clumps, spread it thinly on nonstick dehydrator trays. If using a Cosori dehydrator, one cup of orzo per tray (about 250 g) is a good amount.

Photo: One cup of cooked orzo on a silicone dehydrator tray.

To make it easier to spread the starchy orzo on the dehydrator trays, add two tablespoons of water to the orzo on each tray. This loose water evaporates quickly, so no worries about increasing the drying time.

Photo: Orzo cooked like rice after drying.

Dehydrate orzo at 135°F (57°C) for approximately five hours. Pull apart any clumps of orzo as best you can once or twice while it dries.

Dehydrated orzo will be brittle. Using the rice cooking style, you can expect that some of the orzo will stick to itself due to the high starch content.

Cooking & Dehydrating Orzo like Pasta

Orzo cooked like pasta will be less starchy than orzo cooked like rice. It won’t stick together on dehydrator trays as much as orzo cooked like rice, and it will be less chewy when rehydrated in backpacking meals. While either method works, cooking orzo like pasta for drying is the best option if you plan to use it in cold-soak salads. For hot thermos meals that soak for several hours, orzo cooked like rice is a good choice; it will retain a firm bite in the meal.

Orzo Cooking Instructions – Pasta Style

To cook orzo like pasta, use a 4 to 1 ratio of water to orzo. Cook orzo in a stock pot or large sauce pan.

Cook Time: 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup orzo (165 g)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 liter water

Cooked Yield: 1 cup of orzo (165 g) yields 2¼ cups of cooked orzo (430 g).

Dried Yield: 2¼ cups of cooked orzo yields 1¼ cups of dried orzo (152 g).

Cooking Procedure:

Bring salted water to a boil, then add orzo.

Maintain gentle simmer for ten minutes.

Drain cooked orzo in a colander and rinse with cold water.

Dehydrating Orzo Cooked like Pasta

You will notice that orzo cooked like pasta has far less starch than orzo cooked like rice, especially after you rinse it. Therefore, you do not need to add any additional water to the orzo on dehydrator trays.

Photo: Orzo cooked like pasta on silicone dehydrator tray.

Spread orzo thinly on nonstick dehydrator trays. If using a Cosori dehydrator, one cup of orzo per tray (about 250 g) is perfect. An Excalibur dehydrator tray can easily handle 1½ cups.

Dehydrate orzo at 135°F (57°C) for approximately five hours. Stir it around once or twice while it dries. Dehydrated orzo will be brittle.

Photo: Dehydrated orzo cooked like pasta.

Chili with Orzo Backpacking Recipes

Orzo with chili is a nice menu change from traditional chili mac.  Orzo holds its firm bite over long soak times even better than rehydrated macaroni. All you have to do is substitute dried orzo for dried macaroni in the recipe. You can also add dehydrated orzo to soups and stews.

Here are two delicious recipes for dehydrated chili that you can combine with orzo:

• Beef & Bean Chili
• Green Lentil Chili

Photo: Dehydrated orzo and green lentil chili.

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

• ½ cup cooked & dehydrated orzo (60 g)
• ½ cup dehydrated chili (50 g)
• 1½ cups boiled water to rehydrate

Photo: Rehydrated Green Lentil Chili with Orzo.

On the Trail:

Pot Cooking: Combine ingredients with water in pot. Let soak five minutes, then light stove. Bring to a boil for one minute, then transfer pot to an insulating cozy for fifteen minutes.

Thermos or Mylar Bag Cooking: Add boiled water to ingredients in container. Insulate bag or bowl and wait twenty minutes.

Tuna Orzo Cold-Soak Salad

This orzo backpacking recipe uses the cold-soak method to rehydrate dried orzo and vegetables, to which a packet of tuna or chicken is added with one or two packets of mayonnaise. Cold-soak pasta meals are perfect for hot summer lunches, prepared with no cooking before you break camp in the morning.

Photo: Dried ingredients for Tuna Orzo Cold-Soak Salad.

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

• ½ cup cooked & dried orzo (60 g)
• ½ cup mixed dried vegetables (20–25 g)*
• 1 packet of tuna or chicken (75 g)
• 1–2 packets of mayonnaise
• Salt & pepper to taste**
• 1 cup cold water to rehydrate

* Any mix of dried veggies will work. This recipe features dried tomatoes, green onions, green beans, and a pinch of dried apples.

** I like A. Vogel Herbamare brand seasoning salt, which has herbs in it. (⅛-tsp. to ¼-tsp. per serving).

Photo: Tuna Orzo Salad rehydrated in a thermos food jar.

On the Trail:

Combine dried orzo and dried vegetables with cold water in a container with a tight-fitting lid. A thermos food jar works great to keep the meal cold. Preparation is best done in the morning, so the ingredients get at least two hours of soak time before stopping for lunch.

After two hours or more of soaking, stir in packets of tuna, mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste.

Orzo with Chicken, Peas & Mushrooms in Cheese Sauce

For this creamy orzo backpacking recipe, the entire meal is cooked and dried together, except for the cheese sauce with is added on the trail with powdered milk and cheese.

Photo: Orzo, peas, mushrooms, and onions.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups orzo (350 g)
• 2 cups frozen peas (300 g)*
• 1¾ cups fresh mushrooms, chopped (150g)
• 1 medium onion, quartered and sliced thinly (¾-cup, 70 g)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• ½ tsp. dried herb de Provence
• 1 tsp. cooking oil
• 4 cups vegetable or low-fat chicken broth, or water seasoned with bouillon

*Carrots may be included with the peas for extra color and flavor.

Extra Ingredients (per serving) for the Trail:

• ¼ cup dried ground chicken
• 2 Tbsp. whole milk powder
• 2 Tbsp. shelf-stable powdered cheese (parmesan or cheddar)

Photo: Cooking and lightly mashing frozen peas.

Cooking Procedure:

Place frozen peas in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a light boil for five minutes.

Pour off any remaining liquid and lightly push down on peas with a potato masher or kitchen mallet to break the skins. Whole peas tend to be hard in rehydrated backpacking meals, so this step helps them attain a softer texture.

Set cooked peas aside in a separate bowl, and wash and dry pan.

Apply a minimal amount of cooking oil (1 tsp.) to pan.

Cook onions for five minutes, adding splashes of broth as needed to prevent scorching during the whole cooking process.

Add garlic and continue cooking two minutes.

Add mushrooms and dry seasonings, and continue cooking two minutes.

Stir in orzo and peas and continue cooking two minutes to mix flavors.

Add four cups of broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a light simmer for ten minutes.

Remove pan from stove and let meal cool.

Yield: Makes seven cups cooked.

Dehydrating Orzo with Chicken, Peas & Mushrooms

Photo: Orzo meal on silicone dehydrator tray before and after drying.

Divide cooked meal into four equal portions, about 1¾ cups (330 g) each.

Spread evenly on four nonstick dehydrator trays or sheets.

Dehydrate at 135°F (57°C) for approximately seven hours.

Yield: Four cups dried (428 g).

Once completely cooled, place individual dried servings in Ziploc bags for the trail, or store in airtight jars for home storage.

Photo: One dehydrated serving of Orzo with Chicken, Peas & Mushrooms.

On the Trail:

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried orzo meal
• ¼ cup dried ground chicken
• 2 Tbsp. powdered whole milk
• 2 Tbsp. shelf-stable powdered cheese*
• 1½ cups water to rehydrate

* Parmesan or cheddar cheese powder also are both good.

Photo: Rehydrated Orzo with Chicken, Peas & Mushrooms.

Pot Cooking: Place dried orzo meal and dried chicken in pot with water. Soak five minutes, light stove, and bring to a boil for one minute. Transfer pot to insulating cozy and wait fifteen minutes. Stir in milk and cheese powders before serving.

Thermos or Bag Cooking: Add boiled water to dried orzo meal and dried chicken in container and wait 20 minutes. Stir in powdered milk and cheese before serving.

Orzo & Herbs One-Pan Dinner

Shared by Bobbie Sumberg, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

“This recipes uses a lot of herbs—two bunches from the grocery. I like using a mix, but when I made it the other day for a backpacking trip, I only had one bunch of dill and celery leaves. I usually like mint, dill, and parsley or cilantro.

Part of the inspiration for the herbs comes from a Persian dish called, ghormeh sabzi. Making that got me using much larger amounts of herbs than usually called for in European and American recipes.” -Bobbie

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3–4 carrots and/or celery stalks, sliced thinly
• 2 zucchini or yellow squash, quartered and sliced
• 2 bunches of fresh herbs, about 2 cups, chopped including stems. (Mix of dill, mint, parsley, and cilantro, or just dill)*
• 2–3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 8 oz. orzo pasta

*I know this seems like a lot of herbs, but try it. It really makes the dish. Use what herbs you prefer or have on hand, it's all good.

At Home:

Sauté the onion in a small amount of oil for several minutes, stirring to prevent from burning. Add the carrots, and celery, and continue cooking another few minutes. Add the chopped herbs, beans, and two cups of broth, and bring to a boil. Simmer covered for five minutes. Stir in the orzo and squash, cover, and simmer until orzo is cooked, about ten minutes. Stir in the garlic a minute or two before orzo is cooked.

If you want it to be a bit saucy for eating fresh, use at least three cups of broth. Don’t over salt if you’re dehydrating. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and enjoy.

I usually eat some after it's cooked and dehydrate 4 portions. If opting for just the squash, use 3 medium size.

Dehydrating:

Let cool and spread thinly on solid dehydrator sheets. Dehydrate at 135°F (57°C) for eight hours until crispy. Divide dried meal into four servings.

On the Trail:

Place one serving in a bowl and cover with boiling water; use a bit more water if you want it saucy. Put the lid on the bowl and let sit in an insulating cozy for ten minutes. The herbs will taste like fresh.

Storing & Packing Orzo Backpacking Meals

Store dried orzo or dried orzo meals in airtight containers. Jars with oxygen absorbers work well for home storage for up to a year, although you can expect orzo dried by itself to remain in good condition for several years, just like other pastas.

Dried orzo has sharp edges that will puncture vacuum-seal bags. To reduce puncturing, pack individual servings in Ziploc bags first, then wrap each bag in a paper towel before placing in vacuum-seal bags.

Explore: Packing & Storing Dehydrated Meals.

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