Baked Orzo with Feta and Peas - Comfy, Easy, and Satisfying One-Pot Dinner recipe, where Orzo is baked with Chicken or Chickpeas, Kale, Bell Pepper, Onions, Garlic, Tomatoes, and few others spices and served with Feta Cheese on top.
This is also called Greek Baked Orzo in some places. In this recipe, there is a protein: which is either Chicken or Chickpeas. There is green - which is Kale, Green Peas, and Parsley. There are Veggies - Bell pepper and Onions. And, of course, there are a few spices such as Oregano, Sweet Paprika, Salt, Pepper, and a tiny pinch of Red Pepper Flakes.
Baked Orzo Recipe
Baked Orzo with Feta and Green Peas is a quick and easy dinner recipe which you are definitely going to like. I am sure this recipe will be a family favorite in no time.
Orzo when baked becomes soft. And, when you put it in an amazing sauce like this, it tastes so damn good. In this recipe, my favorite part is the spices.
I just love spices when it comes to cooking. But, this recipe doesn't use many spices. All we are using in the name of spices is just some Oregano and some Sweet paprika. I am skipping Red Pepper Flakes since we are just using a tiny pinch of it to give our recipe an edge.
Ingredients Needed to Make this Recipe:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the best flavors. Seriously nothing compares to a good quality Olive oil.
- Onions & Garlic - Sauteing Onions and Garlic is the first step of the recipe.
- Bell Pepper - I would prefer green bell pepper. But, feel free to use Red Bell Pepper or Yellow Bell Pepper.
- Kale - Kale gives this recipe a nice leafy touch. In case you don't have kale you can use spinach.
- Frozen peas - Peas are excellent when it comes to baked orzo.
- Oregano - Just some dried Oregano to give this recipe some good flavors.
- Salt & Pepper - the basic seasoning without which our recipe is totally incomplete.
- Red Pepper Flakes - Just a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes to give our recipe an edge.
- Sweet Paprika - Sweet paprika is not hot. It brings a nice sweet pepper taste to the recipe and lifts up the color of the dish.
- Lemon Juice - Just a tad bit of Lemon juice to bring in a zesty freshness into our recipe.
- Orzo - I love baked orzo recipes. See more Orzo recipes such as Orzo Feta Chicken, Orzo Stuffed Pepper, Orzo Soup, Garlic Parmesan Orzo
- Tomato Paste & Diced Tomatoes - The hint of tomato makes the recipe taste all the more amazing.
- Vegetable Broth/Chicken Broth/Water - Just to bring everything to a simmer.
- Chickpeas/Chicken - The basic protein for the recipe.
- Feta (OPTIONAL) for Garnish - Feta brings a creamy touch to the recipe and also makes it look so adorable.
How to Make Greek Baked Orzo from scratch?
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STEP 1: Saute Onions and Garlic
Take an oven-safe skillet or any skillet and saute onions and garlic in some extra virgin olive oil. While Sauteing Onions and Garlic, make sure that you do not overcook. They should not turn brown. Onions should just be translucent as shown in the picture below.
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STEP 2: Add Chopped Bell Pepper, Frozen Peas & Kale
Into this add Kale, Frozen peas, and Chopped Bell Pepper. Fun Fact: The Kale you are seeing here is actually grown by me in my garden. Ain't that amazing? I got Kale Seeds and within a few months, they were ready for use.
You can use any color of Bell Pepper that you want. I used green bell pepper. Saute until the kale is wilted. This takes approximately 5-minutes.
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STEP 3: Add Seasoning & Spices
Into this add Seasoning - Salt and Pepper. Add some spices. You can choose your own spices. I have used sweet paprika to get that sweet pepper flavor without adding much heat into the recipe. Moreover, sweet paprika also brings that beautiful color to the recipe.
Besides that, I have used some dried Oregano and just a hint of red pepper flakes to give it an edge. Once you've added the spices squeeze some lemon juice to give it a fresh, juicy, and zesty taste.
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STEP 4: Add Tomato Paste, Orzo, Canned Tomato, Chickpeas
Into this add Tomato Paste, Canned Tomato, Orzo, and Chickpeas. Instead of Chickpeas, you can also use Chicken. Add Vegetable Broth/Chicken Stock/Boiling Water. Bring it to a quick simmer.
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STEP 5: Bake
Now in case you are not using an Oven-safe skillet, you'll have to transfer it to a baking dish. Or else just pop your oven-safe skillet in your oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
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STEP 6 - Garnish with Feta & Parsley
Finish it off by stirring in some butter and garnishing it with crumbled feta.
What to Serve this with?
I would recommend you to serve this with any side salad. I generally serve this with my Summer Corn Salad or Deli-style Creamy Classic Macaroni Salad
However, you can also serve this with some Potato salad or Creamy Hawaiian Macaroni Salad.
Other Recipes you might like:
- Baked Rigatoni Pasta with Ground Beef (Freezer Friendly)
- Baked Shells and Cauliflower
- Baked Mac and Cheese
If you are making this recipe, then please leave a rating below. Also, take a snap and share it on Instagram with #recipemagik. Tag me @recipemagik so that I can see how it turned out.
Baked Orzo with Feta and Peas
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Tablespoon Extra virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Medium-sized Onions thinly sliced
- 3-4 Cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Medium-sized Green Bell Pepper thinly sliced lengthwise
- 2 Cups Kale chopped
- 1 Cup Frozen Peas
- 2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ⅛ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Teaspoon Sweet Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice juice of half a lemon
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Pepper
- 4 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 1 Cup uncooked orzo
- 1 14-ounce can Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- 1½ Cup Cooked Chicken or Chickpeas
- 2½ Cups Boiling Water/Chicken Broth/Vegetable Stock
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- Feta and Parsley for topping (OPTIONAL)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat Oven: Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.
- Saute Onions and Garlic: In an Oven-safe skillet saute Onions and garlic in some extra virgin Olive oil, just until the onions are translucent but not browned.
- Add Kale, Peas, and Bell Pepper: Now add thinly sliced bell pepper, Frozen Peas and kale. Cook for 5-minutes on medium-high heat stirring frequently until kale wilts.
- Add Seasoning and Spices: Now add Salt, and Pepper as per taste. Add your spices - A pinch of red pepper flakes, sweet paprika, and dried oregano. Squeeze juice of a half lemon. Stir well to combine.
- Add Tomatoes and Orzo: Now add Tomato paste, Orzo, Canned diced Fire roasted tomatoes, cooked chicken, or chickpeas. Pour 2½ Cups of Boiling Water/Chicken Broth/Vegetable Stock. Bring it to a simmer.
- Bake: Bake this in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the orzo is cooked.
- Garnish and Serve: Garnish with crumbled feta and parsley. Serve right away with any side salad.
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