Baked Orzo with Roast Mediterranean Vegetables

Enjoy Mediterranean inspired flavours with this easy Baked Orzo. Tender orzo pasta baked in a light tomato sauce and tossed with perfectly roasted cherry tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and red onion with aromatic garlic and herbs. Perfect as an easy one pan dinner or a side for grilled chicken or fish.

Who doesn’t love a one pan dinner? Especially one which has so little hands on time. Just like my Greek Chicken Tray Bake and Chicken and Chorizo Tray Bake, this Baked Orzo is very low maintenance. There is a little bit of chopping and mixing required at the beginning, and some stirring at the halfway point, but other than that this orzo tray bake really cooks itself.

Why You Will Love Baked Orzo

• Easy to Prepare – Deceptively simple, this recipe is foolproof. Roast some chopped vegetables with a bit of olive oil and seasonings, then stir in some uncooked orzo plus stock and tomato puree and bake till it all comes together.
• Healthy & Nutritious – This recipe is packed with a variety of colourful vegetables like bell peppers, courgette, red onion, and cherry tomatoes, providing plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. An easy way to incorporate a wide range of veggies into your diet.
• Full of Flavour – Roasting the vegetables brings out their natural sweetness and the garlic and herbs adds an aromatic touch. And baking the orzo in the stock with the vegetables allows it to soak up all that delicious flavour.

Ingredients

The full list is in the recipe card below, but here are a few helpful hints about key ingredients to help you make the best Tomato Basil and Chicken Pasta.

• Orzo – a small, oval-shaped pasta which looks a bit like rice. It is really versatile, and you can use it in the places of rice for dishes like risotto. I also love it in pasta salads.
• Mediterannean Vegetables – I love to use a mixture of cherry tomato, bell pepper, courgette or zucchini and red onion for baked orzo. However you really can mix it up and use almost any vegetable you like. Use what is in season or what you need to use up. The trick is to try and chop all the vegetables you use into similar sized pieces so they all cook evenly.
• Stock – you can use chicken or vegetable stock, depending on your dietary preferences. I use one stock cube dissolved in boiling water.
• Herbs – This recipe uses a mix or dried oregano and basil, however you can change it up depending on your tastes or what vegetables you use. I stir fresh parsley into baked orzo to serve, but fresh basil is also lovely.

Serving and Storing

I love to serve this easy baked orzo with pan fried sea bass or salmon. Grilled chicken or tuna steaks are also an excellent accompaniment.

Mediterranean inspired Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs with Feta are perfect with baked orzo.

This easy orzo tray bake is great on its own with a green salad on the side.

Baked Orzo with Mediterranean Vegetables makes excellent leftovers! It’s great either hot or cold. I find the best way to reheat the orzo is on the hob with a splash of water, or in the microwave.

I love to have leftovers for lunch with some crumbled feta cheese or fresh mozzarella and an extra squeeze of lime juice. Cubes of pan fried halloumi or paneer cheese are really good too.

Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Baked Orzo is easy to customise depending on your tastes, the season or what you have to hand. Add in some diced aubergine, eggplant, butternut squash or sweet potato. Try carrots, Brussels sprouts and mushrooms for a cold-weather version. Swap the red onion for shallots or fennel.

I use a 37cm x 24cm ProCook Enamel Roasting Tin* to cook my Baked Orzo.

More Easy Tray Bake Recipes:

• Pesto Chicken & Tomato Tray Bake
• Sea Bass & Chorizo Tray Bake
• Salmon, Potato & Broccoli Tray Bake
• Baked Bulgur Wheat Salad

Baked Orzo with Roast Mediterranean Vegetables

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Tender orzo pasta baked in a light tomato sauce and tossed with perfectly roasted cherry tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and red onion with aromatic garlic and herbs. Perfect as an easy one pan dinner or a side for grilled chicken or fish.

Carrie Carvalho

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• roasting tin or deep baking tray
• Chopping Board
• Sharp Knife
• Wooden Spoon or Spatula
• measuring jug

Ingredients

• 200 grams orzo
• 2 bell peppers any colour
• 2 courgettes or zucchini about 300g
• 2 red onion
• 200 grams cherry tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 400 ml chicken or vegetable stock made from 1 stock cube
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 lemon, juiced
• bunch fresh parsley chopped
• salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

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• Preheat the oven to 220℃/200℃ fan/425℉.
• Cut the courgette/zucchini, bell peppers and red onion into 1-inch pieces. You don't need to be exact but the closer they are in size the more evenly they will roast.
• Peel the garlic cloves and crush them with the edge of a knife.
• Add the chopped vegetables, garlic and cherry tomatoes to a large roasting tin. Sprinkle over the dried basil, oregano and some salt and pepper.
• Drizzle over the olive oil then give everything a really good mix so that the oil and seasonings are evenly distributed.
• Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until lightly golden.
• Meanwhile, mix one stock cube and 2 tablespoons tomato puree with 400ml boiling water.
• Stir the orzo into the roasted vegetables then pour over the stock and mix well.
• Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until the orzo is tender and the stock has been absorbed. Mix halfway through cooking and make sure to scrape the bottom of the tin as the orzo has a tendency to stick.
• Stir through the juice of one lemon and a bunch of fresh chopped parsley to serve.

Notes

Serve with grilled meat or pan fried fish or stir through crumbled feta or torn mozzarella. 

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