Baked Prawns & Feta with Orzo Pasta

A very simple dinner to throw together at the last minute if you have frozen prawns in the freezer.  I love everything Greek, and especially the flavors of feta, tomatoes, onions, garlic and prawns.  A very long time ago we went to Greece and this dish was definitely the most memorable thing we ate. It came to the table on a huge platter with about 3 lbs of prawns, feta and tomatoes and a bunch of bread.  I'd never had anything so yummy, but it might have had something to do with the traditional Greek dinner hour... about 10pm, and I was starving!!!

You can do this recipe a couple of different ways, with the orzo already in the bottom of the pan to soak up all the cooking juices, or without, either way works great.  This would also make a great starter for a dinner party with or without the orzo, and served with some crusty french bread.  Small individual baking dishes would be cute for serving it at a party. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, tailed and deveined

Cooking spray

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped fine

1-2 teaspoons garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons white wine

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3/4 cup Orzo pasta, or some other small pasta

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine lemon juice and shrimp in a large bowl; toss well.

Cook Orzo pasta al dente, about 4-5 minutes. Drain. In a 9x13 pan, add the pasta and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add onion to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add wine, oregano, pepper flakes, salt, ground pepper and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Stir in raw shrimp mixture. Place mixture into the baking dish (or oven safe skillet) over the Orzo pasta. Sprinkle cheese evenly over mixture. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until shrimp are done, cheese melts and it bubbles around the edges of the pan.

Sprinkle with parsley; serve immediately.

If you like Prawns, you might also like these recipes:

Prawns al Fresco
Shrimp, Cream & White Beans over Rice- Cajun Comfort Food
Spicy Shrimp Curry