Curried orzo with ground beef and sweet sprouting cauliflower is a winning combination. You may or may not have heard of sweet sprouting cauliflower. Not a super widely spread vegetable but lately, I have seen it in supermarkets a lot more than ever before.
What is it sweet sprouting cauliflower?
This sweet sprouting cauliflower was first produced in Japan and it’s a lot sweeter than the traditional cauliflower, it has long stems with tiny little white flower heads.
It is a popular vegetable in China and they have been using it for some time but it is now also produced here in the UK. Yupee!
Can be consumed raw or cooked especially stir-fry style as it cooks pretty fast, in fact, it doesn’t need much cooking at all, just a matter of a couple of minutes and it’s done!
Kids as well as ourselves the bigger kids, haha, really love it and I have to say it is a lot more appealing and less ‘intimidating’ particularly to children both taste and appearance-wise.
To all the cauliflower haters out there! , Try this sweet sprouting cauliflower! You will be so impressed. The beauty of this is that it tastes nothing like cauliflower. It is an absolute promise!?
What is orzo?
Have you had it before, do you like it?
For those that don’t really know what orzo is - it ultimately is a type of pasta shaped like a larger rice grain and like most pasta, this is also made from semolina, a coarse-ground flour or known also as durum wheat. It even cooks like pasta but just maybe a dash quicker, just a dash.
Orzo is commonly used in Mediterranean cuisines like Israeli, Turkish, Greek, some Arabic or Spanish, oh, and it’s so cute and tasty. My kids call it “cute pasta”. ? They are so right!
It can be served on its own or as part of a salad, soups, ‘risotto-style’ as a pilaf or in a casserole and even stews. As you can gather, cooking with orzo offers endless possibilities.
Orzo is such a versatile ingredient. My kids also love it boiled in milk for breakfast with some sugar and lemon zest. Whichever way you decide to cook it, you will end up with a delish dish.
We love it in any type of dish but particularly prefer it this way (salad type) that this recipe is all about mainly because it is so easy and quick to make.
This warm salad dish is another one of those that I love making because
- it can be put together in no time,
- it’s healthy,
- it's really DELICIOUS,
- it is appealing and very appetising.
- good for crowds, really desired by children and so super yummy.
More orzo recipes will follow, so stay tuned!
If you like this dish, you may also like this quinoa salad or even this lentil salad for a vegetarian option with pulses instead of pasta.
I find this dish a great and easy way of incorporating a few more vegetables into children’s diets. They will just love it!
Other recipes you might like:
- All Seasons Orzo, Halloumi And Olive Salad
- Shredded Roast Chicken With Pesto, Crudités Bits And Orzo Summer Salad
- Creamy Cauliflower With Pork Medallions, Turmeric And Mushrooms
- Cauliflower Bake With Gnocchi And Mozzarella
- Low Carb Prawn, Chorizo And Cauliflower Couscous
Tips :
How to dispose of the extra fat from the ground beef?
If your ground beef is not the leanest there is, don’t worry. Use the 10-15% fat one and remove some of the excess fat that the meat releases after browning it using paper towels.
I normally pick up a good few pleats of paper towel (make them into snowball shape) and remove the fat by moving these around wiping the bottom of the pan with a spoon. You can do it by hand but you have to be very careful as the oils will quickly get absorbed and reach your fingers. The best and recommended way is using a wooden spoon or a tong. Take my word for it.
Of course, you can skip this if you want to keep the fat in which of course will add to the dish's taste.
This is it, folks! I really hope you will be hugely enjoying this recipe - just as much as I always do.
Nom, nom, nom... let's get cooking this curried orzo with been and sweet sprouting cauliflower.
Curried orzo & ground beef, turmeric and sweet sprouting cauliflower
Ingredients
- 500 g ground beef lean 5% fat
- 200 g sweet sprouting cauliflower
- 200 g sweet kale
- 8 medium mushrooms I used chestnut
- 150 g broccolini
- 1 can ready cooked chickpeas well drained
- 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp red chilli flakes optional
- 10 sprigs of fresh coriander optional
Instructions
- Wash and prepare the orzo according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, wash all the vegetables and chop according to your liking.
- Place a deep pan (wok style) on a medium heat, add 1 tsp coconut oil. When slightly hot add the chickpeas, 1/2 tsp cumin powder a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp curry powder. Toss well to coat the chickpeas with the spices and coof tossing regularly for about 2 min. Take them out of the pan on a plate and set aside.
- Using the same pan (no need to wash) add the ground beef, salt pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally until the beef has cooked (browned slightly). Break it so there are no big lumpy bits.
- Mix all the spices in (cumin, curry and turmeric powder as well as the mustard seeds) and cook further stirring occasionally for another minute or so.
- Add the chopped kale and sliced mushrooms and the broccolini. Carry on cooking for another 4 minutes. Toss it every now and again.
- Throw in the sweet sprouting cauliflower and allow it to cook for another 2 minutes toosing it a couple of times.
- Bring in the cooked orzo and mix together gently with the help of two wooden spatulas. Sprinkle the coriander and enjoy.
- Dish out on plates and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Brian Jones says
What an interesting recipe, lots of flavours I am familiar with but combined in a way I am not... I look forward to finding a new cauliflower in the stores although I will not hold my breath we are at then end of the produce chain here in rural Hungary 😉
Ramona says
Thank you so much Brian. I am so glad you liked this recipe.
I know exactly what you’re saying. I do always change the ingredients according to season. ??
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
I love orzo! What a fun pasta. The rest of this recipe also looks so delicious. Love turmeric!
Ramona says
Thank you so much Julie. We love orzo too, especially the children. Turmeric is such a super ingredient. Have a lovely week! ?
Tristin Rieken says
Yum! I’m a sucker for wholesome nutritious entree salads and this one with orzo sounds so good! Can’t wait until we get some sweet sprouting cauliflower here in the states... I’m intrigued!
Ramona says
Thank you so much Tristin,
Sweet sprouting cauliflower is amazing. Cauliflower at a different level. You must try it. Look out for it, definitely worth the effort. ??
Pam Greer says
I'm going to be on the lookout for that sweet sprouting cauliflower!! I love cauliflower and I know I would love it!! I'm also a huge fan of orzo - it is cute indeed!
Ramona says
Hi Pam,
Thank you for your comment.?Oh, absolutely, if you love cauliflower, sweet sprouting cauliflower is absolutely superb. Definitely look out for it. ?
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
What a great use of turmeric! This really looks so delicious with the cauliflower. LOVE!
Ramona says
Thank you Julie,
I use turmeric in almost everything, not the greatest for pictures but superb for our health. It’s such a great ingredient, isn’t it?
Amanda says
I'm vegetarian (so I would omit the meat) but the combo of mushrooms, chickpeas, and seasonings sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Ramona!
Ramona says
Hi Amanda,
Thank you , We do make it meatless too sometimes in the efforts to cut meat. It’s a delicious combination indeed I’m sure you’ll love it.
Ramona xx
Brian Jones says
This definitely seems to be flavour of the moment, which means we should see it in Hungary around 2023 😉 Joking aside I love cauliflower and it is planting season at the moment and I am hunting for some seeds to give this a try so hopefully I can give this yummy sounding recipe a try in Autumn 😀
Ramona says
Ha ha Brian, you really amused me here. 2023 ??!? Oh, cauliflower is such a lovely veg, a truly versatile one. Love it. I do hope you’ll manage to plant some to enjoy this autumn ?
Patty says
I love to make wholesome salads as meals, just had one today as a matter of fact; I love all the flavors in yours although I've never heard or seen any sweet sprouting cauliflower, but I bet our usual cauliflower or rather romanesco will do, that looks delicious and so nicely plated!
Ramona says
Hi Patty and thank you so much for stopping by and for your lovey and so kind comment.
I have not seen them also until a while back - they are fairly new here too but, boy... so much better than the cauliflower... and do not get me wrong, I am a cauliflower supporter and lover all day long - the sweet sprouting cauliflower are some magic florets that taste amazing - sweeter and delicious - keep an eye out for them as they are very seasonal unlike cauliflower which we can find almost all throughout the year. Bon appetite !