Lightly tomato-sauced orzo baked in a skillet with red peppers, kale, chicken – or chickpeas – and a topping of feta, lemon juice, and fresh dill.
Greek Baked Orzo
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I made the Greek Baked Orzo last night and it was delicious. My husband had two servings. Great one pot dish and very tasty too. Definitely will be making it again.
This recipe is sponsored by DeLallo
Lightly tomato-sauced-up orzo baked in a skillet with red peppers, kale, chicken – or chickpeas – and a topping of feta, lemon juice, and fresh dill is something that I am never disappointed to eat on a chilly weeknight in November.
In fact, it is kind of the perfect thing for that still-needs-something-cozy-but-already-overdid-it-on-the-old-favorites time of year, which seems to be about now. The soups have been made, the curries have been devoured, the tacos have been on repeat, and now it’s just a good time to introduce something fresh, zippy, and different.
Honorable mention to the health factor here, because this recipe is full of kale, red peppers, tomatoes, and chickpeas if you wish. All these flavor-rich, cozy veggies provide a good contrast to some of the more, what’s a good word here, comforting? heavy? buttery? recipes that seem to get put on repeat every weekend.
Healthy? Cozy? This one can check both boxes for us.
The thing about orzo is that it’s one of those types of pasta that can kind of get lost in obscurity, but whenever I make it I find myself thinking: I NEED TO MAKE THAT MORE.
I use (and have used, for a long time!) DeLallo pastas, and orzo is no exception. DeLallo also makes tomato paste, fire-roasted tomatoes, and canned chickpeas, all of which were put to use for this Greek Baked Orzo masterpiece.
The whole process of making this recipe is so simple and the flavor… the flavor! It honestly had me snacking on the last orzo bits straight out of the pan. Like, the little semi-browned bits that were stuck to the edges after baking? I know you know what I’m talking about.
This recipe practically requires that you make it your own – add some chicken meatballs, rotisserie chicken, chickpeas, more vegetables, kalamata olives. You are ready to take this and run.
Also: having a strange craving for no-knead bread with this, which doesn’t exactly make sense but also with olive oil for dipping and some extra orzo for scooping… definitely does make sense.
Check Out Our Video For How To Make Greek Baked Orzo:
Greek Baked Orzo
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Greek Baked Orzo! Lightly tomato-sauced orzo baked in a skillet with red peppers, kale, chicken – or chickpeas – and a topping of feta, lemon juice, and fresh dill.
Ingredients
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- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups kale, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- one 14-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1–2 cups cooked chicken or chickpeas
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1–2 tablespoons butter (optional)
- 1/2 cup feta for topping (optional)
- 3 tablespoons dill for topping (optional)
- lemon squeezies for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large oven-safe skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion. Saute for 5 minutes or until soft.
- Add the garlic, red pepper, kale, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt. Saute for 5 minutes or until the kale is wilted.
- Add the tomato paste. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the orzo, canned tomatoes, chicken or chickpeas, and broth. Bring to a simmer.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until the orzo is soft.
- Finish by stirring in butter, crumbling feta over the top, and dusting with some fresh dill, lemon juice, and freshly ground black pepper. YEAH BABY.
Equipment
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Notes
If you want the feta to get soft, just crumble and then put it back in the oven for 5 minutes or so before serving.
I normally use an enameled cast iron pan for this, and I find that the orzo likes to stick to the bottom of the pan. But it should release fine with some gentle pressure from a spatula or wooden spoon and then you’ll be good to go! If it persists, here’s How To Clean A Cast Iron Pan That is Very, Very Far Gone.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Greek-Inspired
Keywords: Greek recipe, orzo recipe, baked pasta recipe, vegetarian pasta
Thank you to DeLallo for sponsoring this recipe!
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of yummy kale recipes. Check it out!
Filed Under: All Recipes Casserole Dinner Fall Healthy Kale Legume Lemon Main Dishes Meat and Chicken Most Popular Pasta Quick and Easy Recipes Sugar-Free Tomato Vegetarian
November 7, 2019
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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This looks delicious! How long do you simmer it for before putting it in the oven – or do you just bring it to a simmer and then transfer?
Hi Sarah! You can just bring it to a simmer and then put it in the oven. Enjoy!
I’m not sure how many people actually made this or just rated it based of how it looked but it was very very very mediocre, very bland.
Unfortunately no one in my family enjoyed it.
I was wondering if this would freeze well? I’m not sure because of the orzo. We only have 3 people in our house, and there is so much left over. Thank you in advance.
We haven’t tried that before to know for sure, but we unfortunately don’t think so.
Be creative then. Throw some smoked paprika in or turmeric. Switchout the Feta for goats cheese. Make a gremolata and sprinkle on after cooked. I’ll try this tonight and feed back.
What size of pan do you recommend when making this vegetarian just with chickpeas? I always appreciate recommendations on the size of pan from the chef ! This recipe definitely caught my eye.
Hi, Mariko! We used this 12-inch pan (affiliate link). Enjoy!
It looks so yummy!
Mariya | https://www.brunetteondemand.com/
Yum! This reminds me a lot of pasta e ceci… one of my comfort-favorites.
Yum! So good!
What is a serving size?
Hi, Jessica! It varies based on how many servings you’re trying to get out of the dish. We’d guess about 1 cup, but don’t know for sure.
If you don’t know the serving size, then how did you calculate the nutrition facts?
Making this ASAP. Does the dish go in the oven uncovered?
Yep, that’s right. Uncovered! 👍
This looks delicious! What’s your best recommendation for a gluten free substitute for the orzo? Quinoa? Rice? Ooh maybe potato gnocchi??
Hi there, Amanda! Rice sounds like a good substitute here. We haven’t tested this out yet though and aren’t sure about cooking times in the pan with the rest of the ingredients. If you go with rice, it might be best to cook the rice separately and add it in at the end.
Hi Amanda – I tried with black rice. First cooked the rice in the Instant Pot (1 cup rice + 1 cup water, 30 min high pressure + 11-18 min natural release). When the recipe says to added orzo, I added the cooked rice to the pan instead. Cooked the rest of the way the same. Tasted great imho!
Delallo offers a gluten-free orzo. I also like Banza’s new “rice” as a sub for orzo.
I like the recipe but I would like to make it with non cooked chicken or chickpeas. Do you know what the nutitional values of the fat, protein, energy, etc might be? Do you know how I can calculate this? Perhaps you can direct me to a website that calculates this? Thank you very much.
Hi, Tal! For 1 serving of this recipe without chicken or chickpeas, it would be 237 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 9 grams of protein. Enjoy! 🙂
What should I do if I don’t have an oven-safe skillet? Can I transfer it to a baking dish and still get the same results?
Hi, Shannon! Yep, a baking dish should work just fine. 🙂
Look at all those beautiful colors! This recipe looks AMAZING, I can’t wait to try it. Thank you for sharing!
Enjoy, Brittany!
OMG sooooo good! I just made this with chicken AND chickpeas. Didn’t need to adjust any of the other ingredients! Served it with mixed greens and some Rustica bread. 😋 Wish I could post my pic – it’s so pretty!
Yum! Sounds delicious, Suzanne!
Its looks delicious ! Thank you for sharing with us, I would follow Meddco Healthcare for affordable healthcare packages.
Thank you
I made this last night and it’s so delicious!! I was wondering what you could pair it with as a side? it’s a fairly heavy dish so I wanted to eat something with it to make it a little lighter if that makes sense. thanks for the recipe!!
We think a simple green side salad would be a good fit here!
Thanks for the incredible recipe! My husband and I loved this dish. I used leftover pork roast and chickpeas, added 2 more garlic cloves. Didn’t have orzo so subbed quinoa. Will make this again for sure!
I made this today using cooked chicken. It was delish! Thank you for coming up with these wonderful recipes!!
Glad you enjoyed this, Merissa! 🙂
Made this tonight. It was super yummy! My whole fan loved it, including my 3 year old. Winner, winner! POY does it again.
Yay! Love hearing this, Haley! 🙂
I made the Greek Baked Orzo last night and it was delicious. My husband had two servings. Great one pot dish and very tasty too. Definitely will be making it again.
So glad you both enjoyed this, Val! 🙂
This is one of my favorites! To feed a crowd would you suggest putting it in a slow-cooker or a roaster oven? If so, would you prep to point of simmer and then finish it off after?
Hi, Anna! We haven’t tested this out in a slow cooker or a roaster oven and we’re not sure that it’d turn out quite right. For a crowd, we’d suggest just doubling or tripling the recipe and using additional oven-safe skillets as needed. Enjoy!
I just made this last night for dinner with some friends – kind of went wild with the flame roasted tomatoes and red pepper flakes and it was exactly what we all needed spice wise. Steamy enough to open up the pores but stopped when you stopped eating. 10/10 recommend and thank you for opening my heart up to orzo!
YUM! The perfect meal for dinner with friends! Glad you enjoyed this, Alex. 🙂
This was delicious. Even my chick pea and kale hating hubby loves it! We topped it with the feta and lemon juice and are officially hooked. Zero complaints on this heart healthy dinner. Bonus, it reheats beautifully for lunch at work the next day 🙂
So glad you two enjoyed this!
This is delicious! Complex flavours for a quick dish and the fresh dill makes it pop
So glad to hear you enjoyed this, Laurie!
I made this on Sunday and it is really tasty! I used chickpeas + veggie broth so it’s vegetarian, and it was really easy, makes a lot and is delicious! It’s also hearty but not heavy, so it’s been great to have the leftovers at lunch this week so far!
So glad you enjoyed this, Laura!
This was so delicious! This morning while my baby napped, I prepped to the point of simmering stovetop, then transferred to a baking dish and put it in the fridge. At dinner time, I added a little extra water, stirred it up, and baked in the oven for about 20 minutes. My 4 year old and 6 year old enjoyed it too!!
So glad to hear that, Lindsay!
Hello! Trying this tonight. Will using whole wheat orzo make a difference? Also, can I use both chickpeas and cooked chicken?
Hi, Whitney! Whole wheat orzo sounds great here! We would suggest just cooking it until it’s soft. And we love the idea of using both chicken and chickpeas. Protein win!
Can I use whole grain penne in this recipe? How should I adjust the cooking time. I loved it with orzo!! Just trying to go whole grain and can’t find whole grain orzo.
This recipe is outstanding! So flavorful. I bumped up the garlic, just because.. more garlic can never be a bad thing, but I’m so glad I stumbled upon this one. It’s a keeper all the way! I may have gone back for seconds, but no shame here. Super healthful recipe, too! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
We ♥️ garlic too, Laura! Glad you enjoyed this!
Wow! This is amazing and so easy to make. I made it with shredded chicken from the instant pot. 10/10! Will definitely be making again and again!
Shredded chicken from the Instant Pot – love this idea! Thanks for the tip, Robin!
This was delicious and very easy to prepare! The addition of dill and lemon at the end really make the dish!
What can I say? Soooo good & soooo easy!
Thank you so much!
Glad you enjoyed this, Kari!
This was delicious, thank you! And I appreciate that it’s such an easily customizable recipe. I’ve remade this half a dozen times now, subbing 1/2 cup of the broth for red wine for some more flavor.
Thank you for validating my search for using my 1/2 c. of leftover red wine! I’m also using sliced kalamata olives, frozen/thawed/squoze chopped spinach, a few anchovies, a large chopped red onion, more garlic, grated lemon zest, za’atar and sumac. Instead of the optional butter, I’m finishing with an excellent basil-infused EVOO drizzled over the diced feta. Wedges of lemon will stand at the ready.