Baked Tomato Mozzarella Orzo Food

BAKED TOMATO & MOZZARELLA ORZO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the orzo into a medium casserole dish, then stir in the oil, red peppers, olives, chilli flakes and dried oregano. Tip in the chopped tomatoes, then refill the can halfway with water and pour that in too. Give everything a good mix, season, then cover and bake for 20 mins until the pasta is almost cooked. Take it out of the oven and give the orzo a stir. Remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 5 mins.
• Heat the grill to high. Take the orzo out of the oven and tear the mozzarella over the top, then grill until melted and bubbling. Serve with salad on the side, if you like.

CHEESY BAKED ORZO WITH MARINARA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees and bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package instructions until just al dente. Drain the orzo and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a very large (12-inch) ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook until fragrant (don't let the garlic burn), about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt and cook, tossing often, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the marinara, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat.
• Stir the cooked orzo into the sauce. Stir in the mozzarella, sprinkle the Parmesan on top, and bake, uncovered, until the Parmesan is melted and the pasta is heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with additional basil, and serve warm.

ONE-SKILLET ORZO WITH TOMATOES AND EGGS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes, stirring often, until onion is softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add orzo and stir until coated in butter, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and juices and cook, stirring, until liquid is reduced and tomatoes are starting to stick to skillet, about 4 minutes.
• Add salt and 2 cups water, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover pan (a baking sheet works well if you don't have a lid), and cook 8 minutes, stirring halfway through. Uncover and simmer 1 minute-mixture should be fluid but not watery. Stir again, then remove from heat and crack each egg into a quadrant of pan.
• Cover pan, set over low heat, and cook, rotating pan every 2 minutes or so, until eggs are nearly set, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over, avoiding eggs, cover pan, and cook until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and top with a few grinds of pepper and basil to serve.

OLIVE AND MOZZARELLA ORZO

Steps:

• In a kettle of boiling salted water boil the orzo until it is al dente, drain it well, and transfer it to a large bowl. In a large heavy skillet cook the onion in the oil and the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened, add the celery, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, cook the mixture, stirring, for 3 minutes, and stir in the broth, the tomatoes, chopping them with a spoon, the basil, and the cayenne. Simmer the mixture, stirring, for 5 minutes, stir it into the orzo with the olives, 1/2 pound of the mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch dice, and salt to taste, and transfer the mixture to a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Cut the remaining 1/4 pound mozzarella into thin strips and arrange it decoratively on top of the orzo. The orzo may be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Bake the orzo in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 30 minutes, or until it is heated through and slightly crisp on top.

ORZO, MOZZARELLA AND KALAMATA OLIVE BAKE

Steps:

• Set oven to 375 degrees (oven rack set to second-lowest position).
• Butter a 2-quart casserole dish (or use a larger size).
• Cook the orzo in a large pot of salted boiling water; drain well then transfer to a large bowl; toss with a couple tablespoons of olive oil.
• In a skillet heat the oil and butter, then add in the onions, garlic, basil and cayenne; stir over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
• Add in the chopped celery and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often.
• Stir in the 2 tablespoons flour; cook stirring with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes.
• Stir in the broth and tomatoes with juice breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon; simmer the mixture for about 20 minutes.
• Stir/add in the cooked orzo with the olives and about 3/4 cup mozzeralla cheese, season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer the mixture to prepared baking dish.
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle with mozzeralla cheese (any amount desired) return to oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

ORZO WITH FRESH TOMATO

Steps:

• Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt. Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan. Cook the onions until they are wilted. Add the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and the pepper flakes. Stir gently and bring the pan juices to a boil.
• Add the orzo and stir gently to blend.

DOUBLE-TOMATO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Holding back the sun-dried tomatoes with your fingers, drain the oil from the jar into a large pot. Coarsely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and add them to the pot, along with the nuts and olive oil. Set over medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the nuts are toasted, 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl (reserve the pot), then stir in the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
• Fill the reserved pot with water (no need to wash) and bring to a boil. Season water with salt, add the pasta and cook until just past al dente. (The pasta will not cook further in the sauce.) Drain the pasta.
• While the water is coming to a boil, coarsely chop the ripe tomatoes. Add to the sun-dried tomato mixture, season with 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. (Tomato mixture can be made up to 2 hours ahead.)
• Add the drained pasta to the tomato mixture and stir to combine. Let sit until room temperature, about 15 minutes or up to 2 hours. Pasta salad will keep up to 3 days if refrigerated.
• When ready to eat, taste the pasta salad. If flavors are muted, add salt and lemon juice or red wine vinegar. If it's too sweet, add black pepper and lemon juice or red wine vinegar. Stir in the greens and eat.