Orzo is such a versatile and quick dish. It cooks quickly and it goes well with so many different flavours.
Today I am sharing my most used recipe for baked tomato orzo, which is incredibly simple and tasty. I usually make this when I’m feeling lazy or just before a food shop. It only uses kitchen staples so it’s perfect for those days when you’re waiting to stock up your kitchen cupboards. I feel like orzo is such an underrated type of pasta, most people just overlook it completely when in my opinion it should be a staple for quick dinners and to bulk up salads.
I like to use freshly made tomato and basil sauce for this recipe, however it also works with ready made sauces. If using a premade sauce just part cook the pasta and then bake everything together. Just make sure your orzo is covered in sauce so as to prevent it from drying. I also recommend using a tomato and basil one, such as the Lloyd Grossman sauce.
For the cheesy part, I love using mozzarella and Parmesan. I mix the mozzarella in the the pan and then use the Parmesan on top as it gets nice and crispy when baked with the breadcrumbs topping.
This simple dish can be made in a large baking dish or in individual portions in ramekins.
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Easy Baked Orzo
Equipment
- Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Onion
- 1/2 Celery Stalk
- 1 Vegetable Stock Cube
- 400 g Canned Chopped Tomatoes
- 150 g Orzo
- 125 g Mozzarella
- 20 g Breadcrumbs
- 50 g Parmesan
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion and the celery, peel and mince the garlic cloves
- Heat the olive oil and fry the onion, celery and garlic for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the canned tomatoes and season with the stock cube. Cover and let it cook for about 15 minutes.
- While the sauce cooks, preheat your oven to 190°C and cook your orzo for half the time on the instructions on the packet
- Add the basil to the sauce and let it simmer for 5 more minutes
- Drain the orzo and mix it with the sauce
- Dice the mozzarella and mix it in
- Transfer everything into the baking dish and top with the parmesan and breadcrumbs
- Bake at 180 degrees for 15 minutes or until your orzo is completely cooked.
- Serve hot.
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