We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. What Is Orzo and How Do I Cook It? Despite its similar look, orzo is not actually the same as rice. Orzo, Italian for “barley” orzo substitute to its resemblance to the grain in its unprocessed form, is a small rice-shaped pasta.
It’s classified among pasta as “pastina” — a category of tiny shapes commonly used for soups. There’s also a beverage orzo, popular in Italy. Short for caffe d’orzo, it’s a caffeine-free coffee substitute, made of toasted barley. Orzo pasta is made with semolina flour, which in turn is made of durum wheat. What can be confusing is that it’s categorized in the grain food group, and can be made with whole-wheat flour, but it’s not a whole-grain. And despite its similarities to rice, it is definitively not gluten-free.
As with most pastas, it’s worth spending a little more for a quality brand that uses semolina with a higher protein content. This creates a sturdier pasta that stands up better to cooking without getting gummy or mushy. You can find orzo in multiple colors — black from squid ink, green from spinach or orange from tomato — but the flavor remains primarily the same. The simplest way to prepare orzo is to boil it in a pot of salted water and drain it as you would any other pasta.