Vegetarian orzo is a flavorful dish that comes together quickly in one pot. Fresh diced veggies and herbs are are combined with orzo in this delightful main dish or perfect on the side with grilled meats or salmon.
Next time try this zesty Italian pasta salad.
Orzo although looks similar to rice, it is actually a short cut pasta that can be boiled in water or sautéed with diced veggies and broth to make a delicious and flavorful dish.
Jump to:
❤️ Why You'll Love It
- Vegetarian orzo is perfect for a main dish or an easy side dish.
- Ready in only 30 minutes.
- One pot meal.
- Great idea for meatless Monday meal.
- Versatile recipe - add other veggies or fresh herbs you love.
This orzo recipe is perfect for those weeknights where you don't have anything planned for dinner or need something on the table quickly. Once the vegetables are diced up, it only takes 20 minutes of cooking time.
📝 Ingredients
📋 Ingredient Notes
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
- Orzo
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Carrot
- Bell peppers: I used 1 red and 1 green bell pepper but you can use any color.
- Rosemary: fresh rosemary tastes amazing in this recipe.
- Salt & pepper
- Vegetable broth
- Tomato sauce
🥄 Instructions
- In a pot over medium heat add half the oil and toast the uncooked orzo pasta until lightly brown.
- Remove orzo from the pan.
- Add the remaining oil and sauté onion for 3 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and then add all the veggies, salt, pepper and rosemary.
- Stir everything for 3 minutes then mix in orzo.
- Pour vegetable broth and tomato sauce, mix everything well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and continue to cook until orzo is tender.
💡 Expert Tips
- You can use any small pasta in this recipe as well.
- You can cook this dish with chicken or beef broth (not vegetarian) or water.
- Start with 1 ½ cups of stock then check the orzo. If it needs more liquid add the remaining cup.
- Veggies should be diced or shredded so they are able to cook while the orzo cooks.
💬 FAQs
Orzo is a versatile pasta that goes wonderfully in salads, stews and soups as well as this vegetarian orzo dish.
⌛ Make Ahead
- This orzo recipe is best to make before serving, however to save time, cut up the veggies and shred the carrots before beginning to cook the orzo.
🍽️ Serve With
- This dish can be served as a main dish or as a side dish to any chicken or beef recipe.
👩🍳 Variations
- Add cooked mushrooms, tofu or pine nuts to the dish.
- For non-vegetarian you can chop in any cooked chicken, ground beef or shrimp as well.
- You can use any spices or fresh herbs you like to vary the flavor each time. Like cardamom, cinnamon, allspice...etc.
- Top with some Parmesan cheese or red pepper flakes.
🧺 Storage
- Leftover orzo can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days in an airtight container.
- To reheat orzo add a couple tablespoons of liquid, like stock and then reheat on your stove top.
📣 Related Recipes
- Mujadara recipe is a rice and lentil Middle Eastern recipe that is so easy to make.
- Koshary is one of the delicious vegetarian Egyptian meals that everyone I know likes.
- Family favorite Greek feta cheese dip made into cute phyllo cup appetizers in less than 15 minutes!
- Try this delicious and easy to follow Lebanese rice recipe, perfect side dish for any Middle Eastern meal. Garnish with fresh herbs or toasted pine nuts to boost flavors.
More Easy Side Dishes
- Fluffy couscous combined with nutty vibrant pesto makes this delicious 5-minutes pesto couscous. This is a great quick and easy side dish or main dish to add to your rotation.
- This Mediterranean vegetable recipe is so good grilled or roasted in the oven.
- Here is a delicious, fragrant yellow rice recipe for a perfect side dish.
I hope you'll like this recipe and please if you make this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #amiraspantry — I love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter!
Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for the FREE Amira's Pantry newsletter delivered to your inbox with lots of tips and surprises! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
If you like this recipe do not forget to give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and attach a photo of your finished dish. It is always a pleasure of mine to see your photos and check your own take of the recipe. Thank you.
What’s new? Check out Amira's Pantry Store on Amazon where you'll find all kinds of nostalgic goodness! Thanks so much for being a part of Amira's Pantry!
Vegetarian Orzo Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1½ cups orzo
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
- 1½ - 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup tomato sauce
Instructions
- In a pot over medium-high heat add half the oil and toast the orzo until lightly brown.
- Remove orzo from the pan.
- Add the remaining oil and sauté onion for 3 minutes or until translucent.
- Add garlic and continue to cook for 30 seconds then add all the veggies, salt, pepper and rosemary.
- Stir everything for 3 minutes then mix in orzo.
- Pour vegetable broth and tomato sauce, mix everything well.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover and continue to cook until orzo is tender.
Notes
- You can use any small types of pasta in this recipe as well.
- I prefer using yellow onion in this recipe but you can use red onion as well.
- You can cook this dish with chicken or beef broth (not vegetarian) or water and veggie broth for vegans.
- Start with 1 ½ cups of stock then check the orzo. If it needs more liquid add the remaining half a cup.
- Veggies should be diced or shredded so they are able to cook while the orzo cooks.
- Add cooked mushrooms, tofu or pine nuts to the dish.
- For non-vegetarian, you can chop in any cooked chicken, ground beef or shrimp as well.
- You can use any spices or fresh herbs you like to vary the flavor each time. Like cardamom, cinnamon, allspice...etc.
Nathalie
An amazing healthy quick recipe perfect for midweek. It was amazing as a snack, as a side dish and also as a main dish. Very tasty - definitely one of my go to recipes when hungry!