This Baked Orzo recipe is pretty darned great. It has tons of textural contrast with roasted cauliflower, hearty chickpeas, and crunchy nuts, and it's so packed with veggies that although it feels like you're eating a big satisfying bowl of pasta, it's light on the ol' waistline. Plus: It's a one-pan recipe making cleanup a breeze!
This one-pan Baked Orzo is super flavourful and loaded with different textures and pops of flavour. It's gingery, spicy, savoury, sweet, and very satisfying.
What you'll need to make this recipe
- Cauliflower: The golden child of the brassica family.
- Dried orzo pasta: Or any small noodle (check that it's vegan if that is important for you).
- Stock: To make this vegetarian, use vegetable stock. But any stock will do.
- Cooked chickpeas: From the can or cooked from scratch.
- Onion: For background flavour.
- Fresh ginger: To deliver a zesty punch.
- Garlic: A whopping four cloves!
- Ground coriander: For earthy, grassy flavour.
- Olive oil: Or any oil really, but olive seems to suit this dish.
- Tomato paste: For richness and colour.
- Salt: Basic seasoning folks!
- Red pepper flakes: Just enough to add a little kick.
- Raisins: Or any dried fruit really, just something sweet to bite into now and again.
- Almonds: Or any nut or seed. Just a little crunch to top things off.
- Fresh herbs: I like parsley, chives or cilantro. Something fresh and leafy, not hard and woody.
How to make this Baked Orzo
This one-pan wonder is as easy as it gets:
- Place a large, high-sided oven-proof pan in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees or as hot as it will go.
- Roughly chop the cauliflower and onion.
- Add the cauliflower and onion to a medium-sized bowl, along with minced or grated ginger and garlic, tomato paste, salt, olive oil, ground coriander, and chilli flakes. Toss well to combine.
- When the oven and the pan are hot, remove the pan from the oven and dump the cauliflower mixture into the pan. Place the pan back in the oven, and roast the cauliflower mixture for 10-15 minutes or until the cauliflower begins to brown on the edges.
- Remove the roasted cauliflower mixture from the oven, and add the raw orzo, chickpeas, raisins, and stock to the pan. Stir to combine and taste for seasoning. The liquid should be a touch salty, but it will become less salty as the orzo absorbs the liquid.
- Cover the pan tightly, return to the oven, and reduce the oven temperature to 375. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes or until the orzo is fully cooked or almost fully cooked.
- Remove the lid, stir the orzo mixture, and cook, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes. The orzo should be fully cooked and the liquid should be absorbed. Sprinkle the top with the chopped nuts and herbs. Add a drizzle of yogurt sauce if you're into that kinda thing!
Success tips
These tips for success will help you make the best darned baked orzo of your life:
- Don’t fuss too much about the size of your cauliflower pieces. It’s best when there are a few big chunks and a few small chunks. Variety is the spice of life, after all.
- For this recipe, I used store-bought chicken stock concentrate. If you’re using homemade or low-sodium stock, you may have to add a bit more salt to the recipe.
- Don’t be afraid to crank your oven to max heat! If your cauliflower only takes 8 minutes to roast, that’s ok. Hot and fast is better than cold and slow when it comes to cauliflower roasting. (Just don’t burn it.)
What goes well with this Baked Orzo?
This is the main course unto itself. It would also be great with a fresh leafy salad. I also think it's a perfect thing to bring to a potluck or picnic of some sort.
I also love this orzo with a drizzle of some kind of yogurt sauce for extra sauciness. The simplest version I make is just plain yogurt with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. Check out this video for some fun yogurt sauce ideas.
Storage and reheating tips
- This Baked Orzo is best enjoyed right away, but it’s also really really good cold, or at room temperature.
- If you’re making enough for leftovers, keep them stored in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- If you want to reheat it (totally optional) it’s best to do that in the microwave. If you don’t have a microwave, put it in a covered oven-safe baking dish and bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until heated through.
Frequently asked questions
No, orzo is a pasta and cooks differently than rice. For best results, stick with orzo or another small pasta shape like ditalini.
This baked orzo can easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. To make it vegan, ensure that the orzo you're using doesn't have eggs in it!
Pine nuts, sliced almonds, or pistachios all work wonderfully. Toast them lightly before adding for the best flavor.
You can, however the orzo will continue to absorb liquid as it sits, which could lead to a drier dish. I recommend roasting the cauliflower ahead of time, and when you're ready to eat, simply add the orzo, stock, etc... and bake.
Still hungry?
You might like these too:
- Tomato Coconut Soup
- Creamy Carrot Tahini Soup
- Feel-Good Carrot Ginger Lentil Soup
- Easy Lentil and Broccoli Curry
Let me know how it goes! I hope you love this one!
Baked Orzo With Cauliflower and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 400 grams cauliflower
- 1 onion small
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons ginger
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 150 grams orzo raw, dried
- 500 milliliters vegetable stock see recipe notes
- 400 grams chickpeas cooked (1 large can)
- 40 grams raisins or other dried fruit
- 40 grams chopped almonds or other nut or seed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs
Instructions
- Place a large, high-sided oven-proof pan in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees or as hot as it will go.
- Roughly chop the cauliflower and onion and add them to a medium-sized bowl. Mince or grate the ginger and garlic, and add to the bowl along with the tomato paste, salt, olive oil, ground coriander, and chili flakes. Toss well to combine.
- When the oven and the pan are hot, remove the pan from the oven and dump the cauliflower mixture into the pan. Place the pan back in the oven, and roast the cauliflower mixture uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until the cauliflower begins to brown on the edges.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, heat up the stock in the microwave or in a small pot. You want it to be hot when it goes into the pan.
- Remove the roasted cauliflower mixture from the oven, and add the raw orzo, chickpeas, raisins, and stock to the pan. Stir to combine and taste for seasoning. The liquid should be a touch salty, but it will become less salty as the orzo absorbs the liquid.
- Cover the pan tightly, return to the oven, and reduce the oven temperature to 375. Cook, covered for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, stir the mixture and check that the orzo is fully cooked or very close to fully cooked. If so, fire it back into the oven uncovered and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- At this point, the orzo should be fully cooked and the liquid should be fully absorbed. Sprinkle the top with the chopped nuts and herbs. Add a drizzle of yogurt sauce if you're into that kinda thing!
Leslie says
This looks great. I have frozen cauliflower to use, should I do anything different with the recipe?
Paula says
I think you could sub frozen cauliflower no problem!
Dana says
When you put the cauliflower and seasonings in (after the pan has been heating) to roast for 20 minutes, do you put on a lid? Or do you put the lid on at the liquid/orzo step? Thanks!
Paula says
Great call out. I put the lid on at the liquid/orzo step! Will adjust the instruction!