This simple Tomato Baked Orzo is made in the oven in just one dish. It’s the perfect dinner for a busy weeknight – add all ingredients to a baking dish, pop it in the oven and walk away. It is such a time-saver and spares you from a pile of dishes. I love to top mine with my 5 minute Basil Pesto for a fresh finish – but this is totally optional. Vegan friendly.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and Mostly Hands-Off: You only need to do some basic preparation, pop this in the oven and get on with your evening.
Hearty and Delicious: Oven-baked tomatoes that pop, rich garlic, chewy sundried tomatoes and chickpeas for protein will make this one of your favorite dinners.
Minimal Cleanup: The best feeling after dinner is knowing there isn’t a pile of dishes waiting for you to clean up. This recipe only uses one baking dish.
Ingredients
This Tomato Baked Orzo is made mostly from pantry basics, with a few fresh ingredients like grape tomatoes and garlic; plus lemon and basil, if making the optional pesto.
Here’s a shopping list of everything you’ll need to make this recipe:
Tomato Orzo
- Grape or cherry tomatoes
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Tomato paste (the concentrated kind, not passata or puree)
- Italian seasoning (or use a mix of dried oregano, basil, and parsley)
- Orzo (also known as risoni)
- Canned chickpeas
- Vegetable stock
- Sundried tomatoes (and oil from the jar)
Basil Pesto
- Fresh basil leaves
- Garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Raw cashews
- Lemon
- Salt
How to Make this Tomato Orzo Bake
By design, this is a very straightforward recipe. From start to finish, it should take you 45 minutes, but only around 10 minutes of that is active cooking.
This is a great meal when you don’t have the brain-power to read and re-read lots of instructions after a long day, or there’s an impatient toddler tugging at your jeans. The instructions can be split into to parts: baking the orzo and blending the pesto. To make it as easy as possible, check the step-by-step guide below. The exact timings, measurements and temperatures can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One: Start by pre-heating the oven and prepping the ingredients for the orzo bake. Mince the garlic, finely dice the shallot, drain and rinse the canned chickpeas. Measure out the Italian seasoning, tomato paste, stock and sundried tomatoes.
Optional additional step: If you have time, roast the tomatoes before adding the other orzo ingredients to make them sweeter. To do this, add tomatoes to the baking dish and coat them in 1 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 15 minutes until blistered, then add all remaining orzo ingredients and continue with remaining steps.
Step Two: Combine all the ingredients for the baked orzo into a large baking dish. I use a lasagna tray 13x9x3.5″ (34x22x9cm) and it has plenty of room.
Step Three: Bake the orzo uncovered for 20 minutes. Give it a good stir, then continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes until the orzo is cooked through and the liquid is mostly absorbed.
Step Four: If you’re making the pesto (optional but I highly recommend you do), peel the garlic and juice the lemon. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor.
Step Five: Pulse the blender or food processor until the pesto is just combined. Some small chunks of cashew are okay – it should be a little lumpy, not smooth. Be careful not to over-blend the pesto as it can cause the olive oil to become bitter.
Step Six: Serve the cooked orzo into four pasta bowls and divide the pesto between them to serve. Eat immediately. It’s also delicious with some fresh crusty bread.
Expert Tips
If you have the time, I have included an optional additional step in the recipe that will add even more flavor to this meal: roast the tomatoes first. Add them to the baking dish with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and roast for 15 minutes until they are blistered. This isn’t essential, but will add more sweetness to the finished dish.
Substitutions
Tomatoes: You can use grape, cherry or mini truss tomatoes.
Shallot: I love the delicate onion flavor of a shallot, but this can also be omitted. In the video I used a yellow onion as a substitute but I do *not* recommend this. The flavor was too overpowering. You are better off leaving the shallot out altogether.
Italian Seasoning: If you don’t have the pre-mixed seasoning, you can use a combination of dried oregano, parsley and basil (or one of the three).
Chickpeas: Cannellini beans also work well as they are small, tender and often used in Italian cooking.
Basil Pesto: You could also use store-bought pesto if you don’t have the ingredients to make fresh pesto. Check out the substitutions section of my blog post on the pesto for more flavor ideas aside from basil.
Storage
Refrigeration: Store any leftover orzo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The pesto can be stored separately in a small airtight container in the fridge for up to a week – make sure to pour a little extra olive oil over the top to stop it from oxidizing and browning.
Freezing: The orzo can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat the orzo in the microwave or on the stovetop. If it seems dry, add a splash of vegetable stock or water. The pesto can be stirred directly into the reheated orzo or served on top.
FAQs
Orzo is a type of pasta, so nutritionally, it’s quite similar to other pasta types. The healthiness depends on the specific ingredients used and portion sizes. Choosing whole wheat orzo can add more fiber and nutrients compared to regular orzo.
Yes, orzo and risoni are the same. “Orzo” is the Italian name, while “risoni” is the Greek name for this small, rice-shaped pasta.
No, orzo doesn’t need to be covered when cooking; however some recipes may specify otherwise depending on how much liquid the recipe calls for. This recipe for baked orzo does not require it to be covered during cooking.
You can finely chop the basil, garlic, and cashews by hand and then mix with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. It will be chunkier but still delicious.
Serving Suggestions
With a Side Salad: Baked orzo has quite a rich tomato flavor, so a simple green salad dressed with a light vinaigrette is a great side dish to pair it with.
Crusty Bread: Serve with warm, crusty sourdough to mop up the pasta bowl. If you are curious to try baking your own, check out my Beginner’s Sourdough Guide. Or if you’re a garlic girl like me, then double down and serve it with a herb garlic bread.
Grilled Vegetables: Complement the orzo with a side of grilled or roasted vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers (capsicum), or asparagus.
An Italian dessert: Round out your meal with my light and refreshing Italian-inspired Orange & Rosemary Olive Oil Cake.
More One-Pot Dinner Recipes
As a new-ish mum, I now fully appreciate the simplicity of a one-pot or one-tray dinner. I have made a bunch of them recently, like this mildly spiced Harissa Butter Bean & Sweet Potato Bake, this creamy low-waste Cauliflower Korma that is made in the oven and my spiced Middle-Eastern Roast Vegetables with White Bean Dip.
Video – Watch Me Make This Recipe
Please let me know if you have any questions, or what you thought of this recipe in the comments section below. You can also tag me on Instagram, my handle is @glowdiaries___ – I love to see what you’ve been cooking.
Tomato Baked Orzo (One Pot)
Ingredients
- 1 lb grape or cherry tomatoes (450g)
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste concentrate, not puree
- 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning or use a mix of dried oregano, basil and parsley
- 1 cup orzo uncooked (250g/9 oz)
- 1 (14 oz) can of chickpeas (400g can) drained and rinsed
- 2.5 cups vegetable stock (590ml)
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes (90g)
- 2 tbsp oil from jar of sundried tomatoes
Basil Pesto (Optional)
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves loosely packed
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Orzo
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Optional additional step: If you have time, roast the tomatoes before adding the other orzo ingredients to make them sweeter. To do this, add tomatoes to the baking dish and coat them in 1 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 15 minutes until blistered, then continue with remaining steps.
- Add all orzo ingredients to a large baking dish. I use a ceramic lasagna dish that is 13x9x3.5" (34x22x9cm) and it has room to spare.
- Mix well and transfer to the oven. Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes, stir, then return to oven for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is cooked through.
Basil Pesto
- While the orzo is baking, make the pesto. Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender.
- Pulse until just combined, with some small chunks of cashews remaining.
- Stop and scrape down the sides as needed. If the pesto is too thick, add an extra 1-2 tbsp olive oil to loosen and stir or pulse to combine. Be careful not over-blend as it can cause the olive oil to become bitter.
Serve
- Divide the orzo into four pasta bowls. Top with a generous dollop of pesto. Eat immediately.
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