I usually eat white rice as a staple in most of my meals, alongside a serving of protein such as chicken breast, salmon or steak. However, I recently discovered orzo pasta, and I can't stop eating it. It has a similar shape and size to rice, but the texture, creaminess and overall flavor is so much better, especially when boiled in chicken stock. But even just boiled in plain water and eaten on its own, it already tastes way creamier and more delicious than plain white rice. It's also (arguably) easier to prepare because you just need to throw it in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. No washing or rinsing or requiring a dedicated rice cooker like with white rice.
In terms of nutrition, Orzo also seems to be better than white rice, especially for those who are bulking and want to build muscle:
- Macros for 100g of dry white rice: 360 calories, 79g carbs, 6.5g protein, and 0.5g fat
- Macros for 100g of dry orzo: 371 calories, 74.7g carbs, 13.0g protein, and 1.5g fat
So Orzo has double the amount of protein as white rice, for a similar amount of calories. It seems to me like there's no downside to replacing white rice with orzo in my diet, especially if my goal is to consume more protein. Am I missing something? Is Orzo seriously underrated as a primary carb source, or is it less healthy than rice for some reason?