Description
Rice-shaped orzo pasta is the star ingredient in this quick and easy vegetarian cherry tomato ‘orzotto’, a great alternative take on risotto.
Scale
Ingredients
- 335g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1.5 tablespoons tomato paste
- 280g orzo pasta
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 50g parmesan cheese
- 30g unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable stock.
- Heat olive oil in a large, deep non-stick frying pan. Add onion and fry until soft and translucent, approximately 8 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, stir well and cook until darkened slightly, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the halved cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring often, for a few minutes until the tomatoes have started to soften.
- Add the uncooked orzo pasta, stir well, and cook for about two minutes.
- Add the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium and leave to simmer until the orzo pasta is cooked and all liquid has been absorbed, approximately 15 minutes. Unlike with risotto, you can add all the stock at once and there’s no need to stir constantly, though do make sure to stir occasionally, especially towards the end of the cooking time. Orzo pasta can be quite sticky so you’ll want to avoid it sticking to the bottom of your pan.
- Reduce heat to low, add butter and cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Notes
For a delicious non-vegetarian variation, you can use vegetable stock instead.
I like my orzotto super soft, but if you prefer a firmer bite, start by adding 750ml of the vegetable stock and gradually add more until you have reached your desired texture.
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Calories: 472
- Sugar: 6.7g
- Sodium: 1,885.6mg
- Fat: 19.4g
- Saturated Fat: 8.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 59g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 15.1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: tomato orzo pasta, tomato orzotto recipe, cherry tomato orzo, tomato and cheese orzo, one-pan orzo dish