Dr Mobeus
One Pot Tomato and Butter Bean Orzo
Orzo is one of the most underrated pasta shapes in the UK. It looks like rice but cooks like pasta, and when you cook it in stock and tomatoes it releases its starches and creates the most incredible creamy sauce – no stirring for 30 minutes like a risotto. The butter beans break down slightly and add a velvet richness that makes this feel like a much more expensive meal. At 58p per portion it is a storecupboard dinner you will make again and again.
One-Pot Tomato and Butter Bean Orzo
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
- Add the minced garlic and tomato puree, cooking for 1 minute.
- Stir in the orzo, chopped tomatoes, butter beans, oregano, basil and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the orzo is tender and the liquid has been absorbed into a creamy sauce.
- Stir in the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately while creamy.
Tips and Variations
Stir frequently once the orzo starts softening – it sticks to the pan more than rice does. Add a splash more hot water if it gets too thick before the pasta is cooked. Any tinned beans work here but butter beans give the best creamy texture. A drizzle of olive oil on top before serving makes it feel properly Mediterranean.
