In this recipe series, we bring you recipes by Julia Toon, culinary motivator and author of the book ‘Good Eating: A Taste of Qatar’. New recipes every week, straight from Jules of the Kitchen.
Baked Vegetable Orzo
Enjoy this unique rice-like pasta baked in a rich tomato sauce with a medley of chopped vegetables. Delicious as a main course on its own with crumbled feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, and a crisp green salad.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes +
Stovetop cooking & oven 180ºC
Ingredients
200 g orzo pasta
Medley of Vegetables
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
1 red onion – finely chopped
2 stalks of celery – finely chopped
Handful of green beans – trimmed and sliced
1 x 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 can of cold water – using the chopped tomato tin
Seasonings
Sea salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
Garnish
Feta cheese – crumbled
Few cherry tomatoes – halved
Instructions
Make vegetable sauce
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large ovenproof pan with a lid, deep enough to take all the ingredients. When hot add the chopped onions and sauté until tender.
Complete cooking
Add the orzo and stir. Replace the lid and replace the pan into the oven and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the orzo cooked.
Serve
Check the seasoning for a final time and take it to the table.
Garnish
Serve hot with a little extra olive oil, crumbled feta, and a few cherry tomatoes.
Jules Tips: I have kept the vegetable medley quite simple, so do play around and add other vegetables if you so wish; such as diced carrot, peas, etc. As with all orzo-based recipes, this dish can be cooked either on top of the stove or in the oven. Both methods work well but I prefer the oven as I believe you obtain a more even cook – and of course, frees you up to do something else whilst it is cooking!
Contributed by: Julia Toon, Jules of the Kitchen
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