This One Pan Zucchini and Eggplant Orzo Bake is a delicious and easy-to-make weeknight meal. It’s packed with vegetables, hearty ground meat and flavorful orzo pasta, and it’s all cooked in one pan, so cleanup is a breeze. In about 40 minutes, you’ll have a satisfying meal that the whole family will love. The zucchini and eggplant are sautéed to perfection, then cooked with the orzo pasta in a flavorful tomato sauce. The dish is topped with a generous amount of mozzarella and feta cheese, then baked until golden brown and bubbly.
This One Pan Zucchini and Eggplant Orzo Bake is perfect for a weeknight meal, but it’s also special enough to serve to guests. Give it a try tonight, it’s hard to resist!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Most pasta dinner recipes start with boiling some water. Here we skip that step and instead, we combine orzo, tomato sauce, pork mince and eggplant, then cook everything together in one pan. Cover it with soft zucchini, feta and mozzarella and bake it off in the oven until the cheese melts. Yup, that’s really it, a one-pan, a make-ahead meal that will rock your world. It’s so simple, you hardly need a recipe, which is good because it’s hearty, easy to make and ready in about 40 minutes, so you’ll likely make it again and again. A perfect weeknight family-style dinner to enjoy.
- One-pan: Everything cooks together in one pan, so cleanup is a breeze.
- Make-ahead: You can assemble this dish ahead of time and bake it when you’re ready to eat.
- Hearty and easy to make: Ready in under 40 minutes, this dish is perfect for a weeknight meal.
- Family-style: This dish is big enough to feed the whole family.
- Flavorful: The zucchini, eggplant, meat and orzo are cooked in a flavorful tomato sauce and topped with two kinds of cheese.
No need for a complicated recipe here. This dish is hearty and fuss-free, it’s practically begging to be added to your weekly dinner rotation, especially for those busy weeknights when you need a family-friendly feast.
The secret to this dish’s success? Orzo pasta, tiny enough to cook right in the sauce. We combine tomato sauce and broth to ensure the orzo soaks up all the deliciousness as it cooks to a perfect al dente texture.
But wait, there’s more! We’re all about layers and cheese in this dish. First, we crumble creamy feta right onto the orzo and sauce for an extra burst of flavor. Then, we layer on the softened zucchini and tuck cubes of fresh mozzarella in between the zucchini slices for that irresistible gooeyness.
In a nutshell, this One Pan Zucchini and Eggplant Orzo Bake is a game-changer for your dinner repertoire. No more boiling water, just one pan, and tons of flavor. It’s a weeknight winner!
Helpful Tips
- For extra flavor: Instead of stirring the feta into the sauce, sprinkle a handful of crumbles here and there. This creates delightful, salty cheese pockets that will elevate your dish.
- Go Veggie: Want to keep it vegetarian? No problem! Simply skip the meat, and you’ve got yourself a delicious meatless meal.
- To make ahead: Assemble the dish as directed, but do not bake. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to bake, let the dish sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
- Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More delicious recipes with orzo:
One Skillet Parmesan Chicken and Orzo
Roasted chicken with grapes and orzo
Herby chicken soup with orzo
One Pan Zucchini and Eggplant Orzo Bake
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 large zucchini - cut into thin slices
- sea salt + black pepper - to taste
- 4 garlic cloves - minced, divided
- 12 ounces ground pork
- 1 eggplant - diced
- 1 small onion - finely chopped
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- 7 ounces cherry tomatoes - halved
- 1 cup puréed tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¾ cup orzo pasta
- 4 ounces eta cheese
- 6 ounces grated mozzarella
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini in thin slices, mince the garlic, finely chop the onion and halve the tomatoes.
- Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a deep large ovenproof pan. Add zucchini, 2 minced garlic cloves, salt, pepper and a pinch of chili flakes. Sauté over medium high heat for 1 minut, then cover and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the meantime, dice the eggplant.
- In the same pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add ground pork and cook until lightly browned. Add the remaining garlic, onion and eggplant. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, on medium heat. Season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika and thyme.
- Stir in the cherry tomatoes, then pour in the puréed tomatoes and chicken broth. Then stir in the orzo, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on very low heat for 10 minutes or until the orzo is al dente and the sauce has thickened slightly. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon to prevent orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Turn off the heat, crumble the feta cheese on top of the orzo, without stirring. Top with zucchini and sprinkle with mozzarella. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!
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