Meatballs and orzo cooked in a rich and delicious tomato sauce. It’s easy to make and loaded with flavour. This one-pot dinner will blow you away big time. It hits all the notes, it’s fun to make, intriguing and it tastes freaking delicious.
The preparation needed for this dish is quite simple. Instead of boiling the orzo, we cook it directly in the pan in a deep and rich tomato sauce. The sauce is made with a base of pureed tomatoes, chicken stock and leftover fat from the meatballs.
We also add tomato paste and Parmesan to really deepen the flavor and bring out the best in the meatballs. When we cook the orzo in this sauce, the starch will not only emulsify the fats, but also turn the sauce slightly smooth and we’ll end up with a unique textural result. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and lots of parmesan to finish.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.
RECIPE NOTES
- for the meatballs, I used a combo of ground pork and veal, but you can use ground chicken, beef or pork
- use rice instead of orzo
- instead of pureed tomatoes, use crushed tomatoes or tomato passata (in Europe)
- add roasted bell pepper instead of cherry tomatoes
- serve with a simple side salad drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- meatballs should be moist and unbelievably tender, so don’t overmix them by handling your meat as little as possible. Put everything into a bowl, and use your hands to carefully and gently mix herbs, egg yolk and breadcrumbs into the meat
More meatballs, please!
- Ricotta Polenta with Drunken Meatballs
- One Skillet Meatballs with Orzo and Feta Pesto
- Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs
Cooking Video
Calories Per Serving: 401 kcalMeatballs in Tomato Sauce with Orzo
Ingredients
meatballs
Instructions
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
By the way, the photography is outstanding…!
le Chef Ian
So happy you like it, thank you!