This Baked Vegan Orzo Recipe is an easy, throw-it-all-in, one-pot wonder featuring tender orzo, cherry tomatoes & veggies topped with melty cheese!
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"This was a phenomenal dish. Thank you Mel for sharing your talent with us. Every recipe of yours has been outstanding!" - Tianna ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
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This baked vegan orzo recipe feels so special! It's rich and delicious with pops of juicy sweet cherry tomato perfection all the way through. And it's cheesy, oh so cheesy. Such a treat!
It's a gem of a recipe that's brought together with lots of simple yet vibrant flavour and texture. You just know it's going to be good when you see orzo, cheese, basil, and tomatoes going in.
Ingredients
Here's exactly what you need to make it:
And a few ingredient notes:
- Orzo - If you’ve never had orzo before, it’s sort of like pasta meets rice, as in it is actually a type of pasta but is shaped like grains of rice. This means it cooks really quickly and is really easy to eat. Just perfect for this baked vegan orzo situation. You'll find orzo pasta in almost all grocery stores with the other dried pasta. Gluten-free orzo is easy to find too. Got some leftover after making this? Give my Lemon Orzo Salad or Creamy Orzo with Zucchini a try!
- Veggies - Cherry tomatoes, onions, and garlic are the only ones that are required. You can then add one or two easy cooking veggies of choice. I used a large zucchini, but you could use any combination of zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, red bell peppers, broccoli (chopped small), corn, or frozen peas. Just steer clear of harder veggies like sweet potato, cauliflower or squash as they will take too long to cook.
- Cheese - Use a vegan cheese that is a good melter for this.
Vegan Orzo Recipe Step by Step
Here's a quick summary of how to make this easy vegan orzo recipe (full and detailed instructions are in the recipe card):
- Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, and other vegetables to a 9 x 13-inch dish and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper then partially bake.
- Add the dry orzo and everything else including the cold water, then bake again.
- Remove from the oven and stir. Most of the liquid will have been absorbed and the orzo will be almost cooked.
- Top with cheese, and bake again for a few minutes until melty, then broil if desired for an extra golden, bubbly top.
Vegan Cheese Melting Tip
If you have a water spray bottle when you put the vegan cheese on the top, give it a good squirt with water before you put the lid on and bake it again. The steam the water creates helps melt the vegan cheese better!
Variations
Want to switch things up?
- Add some black olives, chickpeas/garbanzo beans or sautéed vegan sausage crumbles
- Play around with the veggies. You can use whatever easy cooking veggies you have on hand. Peas and asparagus would make an amazing spring combo and mushrooms are really good too.
- Add some dollops of vegan ricotta across the top with the shredded cheese.
- Make it Greek style with kalamata olives, capers and feta cheese. The salty feta taste will work so well with the orzo, veggies, and tomatoes!
- Use some dry white wine instead of some of the water for a special occasion.
Serving suggestions
Serve Baked Vegan Orzo just as it is for a simple meal or as a side. Some great accompaniments include:
- vegan parmesan cheese
- a large bowl of fresh green crispy salad
- freshly baked No-Knead Focaccia or some garlic bread
- vegan chicken breasts
Storing leftovers
Store leftover vegan orzo in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It's great for reheating in a microwave or covered in an oven.
Recipe
Baked Vegan Orzo Recipe
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 cups (400 grams) cherry tomatoes , left whole
- 1 large zucchini , diced (or roughly the same amount of any other easy cooking vegetable such as spinach, mushrooms, asparagus).
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste , puree in the UK
- 3 cups water , or half water half white wine
- 2½ cups (1lb / 453 grams) uncooked orzo , or gluten-free orzo
- 1 big handful fresh basil , chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried basil)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon chili flakes , optional
- 2½ teaspoons sea salt , if using table salt adjust as necessary
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ to 2 cups (180 - 240 grams) shredded vegan cheese , that melts well
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 450F (230°C)
- Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, whole cherry tomatoes, and zucchini (or other chopped veg to a 9 x 13-inch or similar oven-proof dish. (Unless you are using frozen peas or a leafy vegetable like spinach. Leave those out for now. )Toss together to coat with oil, then cook uncovered in the oven for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes remove and turn the oven down to 400 °F (200°C).
- To the vegetables add the tomato paste and the water and stir to combine and break up the tomato paste. Then throw in the orzo (raw), basil, chili flakes, salt, pepper, and any leafy vegetables/peas if using, then give it all good stir, making sure the orzo is all submerged.
- Cover tightly with a lid, foil, or an upturned baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.
- Uncover, sprinkle over lots of vegan cheese, cover again (to help the cheese melt) and bake for a further 10 minutes. If you have a water spray bottle, spray a few sprays of water over the cheese before covering. The steam will help it melt.
- Take off the lid and broil for a couple of minutes until the top is bubbly and golden. Serve immediately.
NOTES
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Lisa says
This was really easy and quick to prepare and it came great. I used spinach instead of zucchini. It's a keeper.
Elizabeth says
It’s pretty good and easy. I halved it and we ate the whole thing. I added portobello mushroom and chick’n. Would make again. Orzo!
Nathalie says
Perfection! I subbed mushrooms for the zucchini. So good!
Anu says
Very easy and delicious. I added some mushrooms and fresh dill. Thanks for a great recipe.
Desiree says
Thinking I would try recipe without baking tomato and zucchini 1st. Skip the first 15 mins since I prefer crunchy veges. I would cut cherry tomato in half. I also thought about eliminating the cheese on top, to keep it healthier.
Tiana Lucas says
This was a phenomenal dish. Thank you Mel for sharing your talent with us. Every recipe of yours has been outstanding!
Melanie McDonald says
Oh thank you Tiana! I love that you enjoyed it so much!
Heather says
This baked orzo recipe is delicious! For some reason I was expecting this to be bland. But it was extremely rich and flavorful. I followed the recipe exactly, except used vegetable broth instead of plain water. I used gluten-free orzo and it turned out perfectly.
I can't wait to eat the leftovers!
I served it with a vegan garlic bread and a side salad. 10 out of 10!
Tammy says
We just finished dinner. This was surprisingly over the top delicious. The house filled with awesome Italian aroma. I will make this again and again. I will try some of the other variations you wrote about. The Mediterranean one looks interesting.
It was also not a heavy meal. I kind of thought it would be heavy due to the Italian nature of it, but it wasn’t.
Another great thing about this recipe, is other than the vegan cheese, we had everything in the fridge and pantry.
Thank you for such a simple, but nutritious meal option.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Tammy! Have fun playing with the recipe. There are so many ways it can be adapted!
Rachelle says
So simple and so amazing. Satisfied my basil craving 😂. I didn’t change a single thing. It was perfect. Can’t wait to try your other one-pot dishes!
Janet says
Made this for dinner tonight. Easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Donna says
Made this and can't wait to make it again!! Thank you!
Carol says
New to being Vegan. What type of vegan cheese melts well?TIA
Melanie McDonald says
I used Nabati Mozzarella. Tips for melting are included in the recipe instructions too.
Lorri says
Violife melts great too!
Lynne says
Thank you Val, for another delicious recipe! You're a much spicier lady than I am so I cut back on the spices! I added some extra vegetables and am pleased that it is such a versatile recipe. This will certainly become a regular in our dinner rotations.
Natalya Copeland says
thank you!! very good!!
Shellie says
WOW! I made this last night and we inhaled it all. Delicious! Spraying the water on the cheese really made a difference. Thanks!
Melanie McDonald says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it Shellie! The water trick works on burgers/grilled cheese etc too if you cover the pan with a lid or old baking tray to trap the steam for a few minutes.😉
Laurie says
how important is the melted cheese??? I have yet to find a vegan cheese that I like. Thanks!
Melanie McDonald says
The cheese is a big part of this recipe. Flavour, appearance and texture-wise. It also helps seal the orzo in and complete its cooking in the last few minutes. You could leave it off though, just keep the orzo covered tightly with a lid/foil and cook until it's just tender with a little bite. Grab a bit with a fork to check. It might take a minute or two longer because it won't have the moisture/seal of the cheese.
Lorri says
Violife melts really well!