Baked orzo, spinach and ricotta

A comforting, vegetarian midweek meal

When you need a comforting dish, try this baked orzo, spinach, and ricotta dish

• SERVES: 2
• PREP TIME: 10 mins
• COOKING TIME: 20 mins
• IDEAL FOR: midweek meal, family, meat-free
• DIFFICULTY: easy

Do I have to use orzo pasta?

Ah, no.

But it’s small and perfect for whipping this dish up for a midweek meal.

I actually had to up the recipe last minute to cater to 4 people.

And I only had orecchiette pasta in the cupboard.

I worked perfectly.

But if you use different pasta, you may need to adjust the cooking time a little.

It may take a little longer than using orzo pasta.

What is orzo?

Orzo, Italian for “barley” – looks like the grain with its small rice shape.

It’s classified as “pastina” — a category of tiny shapes commonly used for soups.

Orzo pasta is made with semolina flour (made of durum wheat).

Despite its similarities to rice, it’s not gluten-free.

Orecchiette – ‘Little ears’ pasta

Orecchiette (pronounced o-rek-kyet-teh).

And named for their shape, which looks like little ears.

It’s made only from semolina, water, and salt.

And their rough surface holds onto sauces which is perfect for a dish like this.

Baked orzo, spinach, and ricotta recipe

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small red onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 60 g black olives, stones removed and cut in half
• 1 bay leaf
• Lemon zest
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or dried)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• X 1 400 g tin diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3 tomatoes, chopped roughly
• 1 1/2 cups orzo
• 2 1/4 cups vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper to season
• 2 cups packed baby spinach
• 100 g ricotta (or feta) crumbled

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 210C/350F degrees.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over low heat and add the onions – cook until soft – then add the minced garlic for another minute.
3. Add the olives, some lemon zest, tomato puree and tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then add a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano and the orzo.
4. Simmer, stirring occasionally for approx. 8 mins or until the orzo is almost cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
5. Stir in the spinach and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until they are wilted.
6. Transfer the orzo to a baking dish and top evenly with crumbled ricotta (or feta)
7. Bake for 5 – 10 minutes.
8. Serve with salad or crusty bread.

For more tasty vegetarian recipes, visit here.

References:

Recipe inspired by Riverford

The Spruce Eats