• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Search

Serving dumplings

Weeknight Dinner Ideas for Everyone

  • Home
  • About
    • About me
    • workshops
    • stuff I use
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • 30 minutes
    • Bakery | Pastry | Sweets
    • Pasta | Rice | Barley
    • Soup
    • Fish | Seafood
    • Meat
    • Vegetarian
    • Kid Friendly
    • Drinks
  • Seasons
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Winter
  • How-to Video
  • Converter
  • Contact
  • EN
  • PL
  • NL
Fall, Kids, Meat, Pasta | Rice | Barley, Quick meals, Summer  /  1.09.2020

One Pan Zucchini and Eggplant Orzo Bake

by Anna
Anna Chwistek
35 minutes
Servings serves 4

It’s hard to resist this easy one pan zucchini and eggplant baked orzo. 

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 30 minutes, so you’ll likely make it again and again. A perfect weeknight family-style dinner to enjoy.

serving dumplings | One Pan Zucchini and Eggplant Orzo Bake

The orzo pasta is small enough to actually cook in the sauce. The key is to use a combination of tomato sauce and broth so that the orzo has plenty of liquid to absorb while it cooks in order to soften and become al dente.
To make this dinner extra-appealing, we’re making layers and using two kinds of cheese. Feta is crumbled directly on the sauce with orzo to add extra creaminess and flavor. Then we top everything with softened zucchini and nestle cubes of fresh mozzarella between the zucchini slices for gooeyness.
Tip: don’t stir the feta in the sauce, a handful of crumbles here and there create little salty cheese pockets, really good!
And you can easily swap the meat for quorn mince to make this a vegetarian dish.

Hop on over to Instagram to see how to make this in my highlights!

3 more delicious recipes with orzo:
One Skillet Parmesan Chicken and Orzo
Roasted chicken with grapes and orzo
Herby chicken soup with orzo

Let’s stay connected! Sign up for my NEWSLETTER to receive the latest recipes.

serving dumplings | One Pan Zucchini and Eggplant Orzo Bake

You need

  • 150 g (3/4 cup) orzo pasta
  • 350 g (12.3 oz) pork mince
  • 1 eggplant, cut into cubes
  • 1 large zucchini, cut into thick slices
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 200 g (6,9 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 250 ml (1 cup) tomato passata
  • 250 ml (1 cup) chicken broth
  • olive oil
  • 100 g (3,9 oz) feta cheese
  • 150 g (5,8 oz) mozzarella, cut into cubes
  • sea salt + black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • crushed red chili flakes

How to

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a deep large pan. Add zucchini, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Sauté over medium heat for 1 minut, then cover and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
In the meantime, you can cut the eggplant into cubes and prepare the tomatoes.

In the same pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add pork mince and cook until lightly browned, add the remaining garlic, onion and eggplant. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, on medium-low heat. Season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika and thyme. Stir in the tomatoes, add the passata 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 from time to time with a wooden spoon.
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 the cubed mozzarella. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve.

Hop on over to Instagram to see how to make this in my highlights!

If you give this recipe a try, leave a comment or mention me on Instagram @anna_s_table. I’d love to see what you’re making. Happy cooking!

FeedFeed

serving dumplings | One Pan Zucchini and Eggplant Orzo Bake

 

Tags

  • cheese
  • eggplant
  • fast dishes
  • pasta
  • tomatoes
  • zucchini

Post navigation

Prev: Buttery Mushroom & Chickpea Pesto Pasta
Next: Eggplant and sun dried tomato pasta with ricotta

Related posts

Roast chicken legs with garlic and grapes
Fall, Kids, Meat, Spring, Summer, Winter  /  27.01.2020
by Anna  /  14 Comments

Roast chicken legs with garlic and grapes

Vegan baked cheesecake with caramelized almonds
Bakery | Pastry | Sweets, Fall, Kids, Spring, Winter  /  14.11.2018
by Anna  /  13 Comments

Vegan baked cheesecake with caramelized almonds

Roasted garlic soup
Fall, Kids, Soup, Spring, Vegetables, Winter  /  14.02.2019
by Anna  /  12 Comments

Roasted garlic soup

Share your thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anna | Studio Kuchnia

Anna | Studio Kuchnia
eat. real food.
packed with flavor.
sometimes chocolate too.

Anna.

Follow me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

If you love these recipes …

… please consider supporting my work for just the cost of a cup of coffee.

Buy me a coffee

Saveur Blog Awards Winner - Most Inspired Weeknight Dinners

Search

Let's stay connected

Subscribe for updates & new posts.

Popular

  • Chicken salad with chickpeas and parmesan dressing
  • Cheesy eggplant-beef bolognese pasta bake
  • 15 minute One-Pot Creamy Mushroom Gnocchi
  • Miso Soy Salmon Sashimi Bowl
  • Brothy Chickpea Stew
  • Home
  • About
  • Converter
  • Seasons
  • Contact
  • Legal notice
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Saveur Blog Awards Winner - Most Inspired Weeknight Dinners
  • Copyright © 2013 - 2020 Serving dumplings
  • Website by CRAFTED