One Pot Pizza Pasta

Gooey, Cheesy, Tomato Orzo Recipe like Nonna Pina used to make.

I first shared this recipe back in 2018; it’s been through many iterations since then, tweaks and changes to streamline the fridge-to-mouth timeframe. This recipe started life as a Hello Fresh meal card, but is so far removed from its original state, I’m now taking credit for it! And I still get DMs to this day telling me people are having it for dinner tonight or it’s one of their meal-plan staples.

This family fave is like a bowl of flavorsome, gooey hugs from Nonna Pina (the boys actual Italian Great-Grandma!), it warms the soul and leaves everyone sated - while secreting a few veggies to tick the responsible parenting boxes!

I love this recipe as it only takes one pot; and bar the mozzarella and something leafy, I've usually got all the other bits knocking around in the cupboards - Nigella I am not, my cupboards are not vast catacombs or a Pinterest worthy larder - so I'd like to think you might have these bits too.

What you’ll need (serves 4-5)

• Bacon/pancetta, either 2x of the pre-chopped lardons boxes or about 10 rashers

• 2x cloves of garlic, finely chopped (or a squirt of garlic puree/teaspoon full of that jarred stuff if you can't be naffed to chop!)

• 1 tbsp dried thyme

• 3 Tbsp tomato puree

• 300g Orzo

• 1 veg stock cube

• 500ml boiling water

• 10-15 (small pack) cherry tomatoes, quartered

• 1 red pepper, chopped into 1cm cubes

• 1 Tin of chopped tomatoes

• Handful of frozen Peas

• 80g/Good handful parmesan, grated

• 4 handfuls Baby Spinach

• 1 ball Mozzarella, torn into pieces

• Salt & Pepper to season

Method

1. Heat a large glug of olive oil in a large sauce pan, on a medium heat.

2. Add the stock cube to the boiling water in a jug/bowl and leave to one side.

3. Once your pan's hot, add the bacon and stir/cook until crispy (4ish minutes).

4. Add the chopped garlic and thyme and stir together for another minute.

5. Add the tomato puree and stir everything together.

6. Chuck the orzo in the pan and mix everything together, coating the orzo in the tomato-ey goodness for another minute.

7. Slowly add the vegetable stock and stir to combine.

8. Chuck in the fresh and tinned tomatoes, along with the red pepper, stir and bring everything to the boil.

9. Lower the heat slightly, and settle in for about 10 minutes of stirring. Scrape along the bottom of the pan regularly to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan - this can happen really quickly.

10. After 10 minutes, throw in your frozen peas, salt and pepper.

11. Continue to stir for another 5 minutes.

12. Once all the liquid has been absorbed by the orzo, check to see if it's cooked through (take a bite!), if not add a little more water and keep stirring for a few more minutes. Like with all pasta, the cooking times can vary slightly.

13. Add the mozzarella, Parmesan and spinach. Fold everything together for a few minutes until the spinach has wilted.

14. Serve up with a sprinkling more Parmesan on top, bearing in mind that this cheesy goodness is really filling!