Healthy Eating · Mediterranean · Pasta · Recipes · Vegetarian
BySam
3 Comments
This orzo pasta with roasted tomatoes, feta and olives is inspired by a very simple but delicious dish which involved baking feta and olives in a thick tomato sauce I made a few years ago. It’s a wonderful appetizer or warm dip for crusty bread and I remember at the time thinking it would be a delicious sauce for pasta. Instead of making a sauce using tinned tomatoes, I used fresh Mediterranean baby vine tomatoes.
It also occurred to me, again, that roasting or baking cheese with things is a superb idea and I should do it more often. Especially feta which is not my favourite cheese. I find the salt overpowering and the flavour in general quite one-dimensional.
I rarely add it to salad unless it’s a Greek salad, and if I do, I prefer to crumble it over to distribute the taste. The flavour and saltiness of feta work well with this dish and my baked tomato version because thetomatoes temper it and when hot out of the oven it crumbles into the pastabeautifully.
I love to add a few spoons of pesto to orzo/ rosmarinopasta. It gives the dish a load offlavour, and basil is the perfect partner with everything else going on here too.
I recently returned from a trip to South East Asia and have been craving pasta. With all these ingredients available in my fridge, this recipe came to fruition. It’s delicious and served cold as a salad too. I just tossed through roughly torn leaves such as spinach, watercress and rocket to give it more of a salady crunch. Rosmarino, also known as orzo is generally a really fantastic pasta to turn into a salad.
~cooks tips – My tomatoes were leaning on medium so I cut them in half. If they are very small you can leave them whole. I always leave the pips in olives when I cook them, I find it such a chore to de-pip them and I will never buy the ghastly ones with the pips already removed. I just keep a little bowl next to my plate when I’m eating to put them in. I love how they swell up and become juicy and plump when cooked. I used my all-time favourite calamata olives from Kloovenburg which are soaked in blackberry brine. I also added a few tablespoons of the brine because I love a splash of acidity here. You can also use balsamic or red wine vinegar.
I like a little kick of heat with this pasta so I stir in about a teaspoon of my favourite chilli sauce at the end. By chilli sauce, I mean more like an ultra-hot chilli paste. You can add it according to taste or leave it out.
If you wanted to use a more robust pasta like shells or fusilli, I would opt for making my saucier baked version to mix with this.
For a few more of my favourite cheesy baked recipes
goats cheese cigars with honey and thyme
baked ricotta with basil lemon and chilli
parma ham wrapped brie with thyme and garlic bruschetta
A delicious and easy vegetarian orzo pasta with roasted tomatoes, feta and olives. Perfect for a weeknight supper
Print Recipe
Prep Time:10 minutesmins
Cook Time:30 minutesmins
Ingredients
280gms / 1 1/2 cups rosmarino pastaorzo
150gms feta
300gms Mediterraneanvine tomatoes or other baby tomatoes1 punnet and approx. 3 cups
1/3cupkalamata olives
2 - 3Tbsof olive brineor red wine or balsamic vinegar
olive oil to drizzle - about 3 Tbsp
a few springs of fresh thyme
pepper to season
1/2tspdried chilli flakes or your favourite chilli sauce to taste stirred in at the end optional
2 - 3Tbspbasil pesto
Instructions
10Preheat the oven to 180C / 350 F
Cut the feta into small cubes and scatter in a small roasting dish with tomatoes and olives. drizzle over the brine and olive oil andseason with blackpepper. Scatter over the thyme leaves, removing a few of the leaves.
Roast for 25 - 30 minutes depending on the size of the tomatoes. Give the pan a shake during the cooking time.
While this is roasting cook the pasta according to the packet instructions in salty water. Drain and stir through the pesto and chilli.
Add the roasted mixture as soon as it comes out of the oven and serve.
Is pasta or orzo healthier? Orzo is rice-shaped pasta. Although its appearance resembles grains of rice, orzo is actually made from a specific type of flour called semolina. Since orzo is a type of pasta, the health benefits of orzo and pasta made from the same ingredients are the same.
Generally it is 1 cup of uncooked orzo to 2 cups of water or broth. There is typically liquid left over after cooking that needs to be drained before using.
Boil the orzo about 10 minutes or until it has a firm, chewy texture, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking together. Drain orzo in a colander. For the best flavor and texture, serve the orzo immediately after cooking.
Though orzo pasta does not have a direct city in Italy as its place of origin, the ingredients prove prominent all over the country, where locals call it risoni. In fact, the word orzo means "barley," in Italian, and while the uncooked orzo looks like the grain, the two don't have much else in common.
In fact, whole wheat or whole grain pasta is the best option for weight loss as whole wheat pasta takes longer to digest than pasta made from refined flour. Slower digestion means blood sugar will rise slowly after consumption, preventing your body from storing excess fat.
You can measure out orzo and should plan on about 1/4 cup (or 2 ounces) dry pasta per person. Orzo will more than double in size when cooked so don't worry, there will be enough.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and then stir in orzo. Cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally to keep orzo from clumping. Depending on thickness, orzo typically cooks in about 8-10 minutes. Drain, but do not rinse the orzo.
You'll also find that the cooking times and temperatures for each vary widely. Orzo has a creamier and softer texture than rice. Much like rice, it can double in size when cooked. Rice can be cooked to be sticky, while orzo will just clump without enough moisture.
Cooking with orzo is typically straightforward but still presents certain common issues. Overcooking is a frequent error, which can make the orzo mushy and unappetizing. It's best to always test it a couple of minutes before the package instructions say it should be done, as you want it to be al dente.
The simplest way to prepare orzo is to boil it in a pot of salted water and drain it as you would any other pasta. It cooks to al dente in about 8 to 10 minutes. 1 cup raw orzo (about 6 oz) will give you about 2 cups cooked. If you want a slightly creamier result, orzo can be cooked as you would rice.
Orzo can also be cooked like rice with a two-to-one ratio of water to dried pasta; the result will be creamier since all the starch of the pasta will be retained, not poured off with the cooking water. The best part? Your cooking time will be about half of what it takes to make a pot of white rice.
Is orzo more healthy than pasta? Orzo is a type of pasta. So, they share similar nutritional values. But how healthy a dish is depends more on what you mix into it and how much you take.
Orzo is a type of pasta that's similar to rice in shape, size, and texture. Whole-wheat orzo packs more fiber and protein than regular orzo, which makes it the healthier choice. Still, it's fairly high in calories, providing about 50% more calories than an equal serving of white rice.
Orzo made from whole grains can be included as a part of the Mediterranean diet as it's made from the right ingredients and is not heavily processed. However, orzo made from refined flour cannot be a part of Mediterranean diets.
Heart Low Carb Orzo Pasta is an excellent choice for people who follow a low carb or ketogenic diet. Its a great substitute for full carb pasta, rice or potato.
What is a healthy substitute for orzo? Cauliflower rice, corn, quinoa, pearl barley, buckwheat, and couscous are all great healthy substitutes for orzo. Lentils and wild rice are also really healthy and good replacements.
Orzo contains a lower amount of fiber. However, it provides a low amount of dietary fiber, which helps in easy and smooth digestion. It also regulates bowel movements, constipation, and a healthy gut function.
Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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