One Dish Baked Orzo with Spinach, Ham, and Feta

Hello, Friends!  Are you ready for Wednesday?  I wish I could say we were going to have a white Christmas, but, alas, no such luck.

I'm gearing up by trying to come up with some new recipes in which I can use ham.  We received a beautiful ham as a gift and I wanted to try some new dishes.  This was first up and I'm tellin' you......if you are going to have any leftover ham, you have got to try this!!!  It is dee....lish!

It's a simple mixture of orzo with some freshly chopped dill and feta cheese with some chopped ham and spinach sandwiched in between.  And then a thin layer of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese on top which bakes into a lovely crispy crust.  You can put this together very quickly and bake it immediately or the next day.  I would make the full recipe in a 9x13 baking dish or half the recipe and bake it in an 8x8 dish.  I served this with a Greek salad.

ONE DISH BAKED ORZO with SPINACH, HAM, and FETA (6-8 servings)

2 cups ham, cooked and chopped
1 pound orzo pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped (or more, to taste)
1/3 cup grated Romano, Parmesan, or Asiago cheese
14.5 oz can chicken stock
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 pound crumbed feta cheese
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely dry (it's important to squeeze out all excess moisture)
S&P to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Pour the chicken stock into a large pot.  Add enough water to the stock to almost fill the pot.  Sprinkle with salt and bring to a boil.  Stir in orzo and boil until just tender (8-10 minutes) but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.  Drain well.

Return to pot.  Mix in cream, oil, feta, and dill.  Season with S&P.  In a prepared baking dish, layer 1/2 of the orzo mixture.  Top with the ham and then spinach.  Layer the remaining orzo mixture over the spinach and top with the Romano cheese.  Bake uncovered until heated through, about 40 minutes.

This dish can be prepared a day ahead, just cover and refrigerate.  When you're ready to cook it, bring it to a room temperature before you bake it.

Recipe Source: www.smithfield.com