This recipe provides approximately 6 servings and is ideal for either lunch or dinner.
Initially, you’ll need to spare 10 minutes for preparing the ingredients and another 20 minutes to cook the meal.
You will need the following ingredients:
– Four coarsely diced tomatoes
– One small red onion, sliced
– Two cloves of garlic, pressed
– Two tablespoons of olive oil
– Salt and black pepper for seasoning
– One teaspoon of assorted Italian dried herbs
– Three tablespoons of pesto
– Two tablespoons of semi-sundried tomatoes, coarsely sliced
– 500 grams of orzo
– 750 millilitres of stock or water
– A ball of mozzarella, pulled into chunks
– Two tablespoons of ‘nduja, segmented into small bits
– One tablespoon of fresh parsley, oregano or basil
Start off by preheating the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Spread the chopped tomatoes, garlic and onions evenly in an oven-proof dish. Drizzle the oil all over and season thoroughly with salt and black pepper. Stir the ingredients until they’re fully covered in oil and seasoning. Next, cook this mixture in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Add in the sundried tomatoes, dried herbs and pesto. Stir them in well, ensuring they’re equally distributed. Follow on by adding the orzo and stock. Give it a gentle stir. Let it bake in the oven for around 15 to 20 minutes till the orzo is almost cooked.
After that, top the dish with the shredded mozzarella and sprinkle the ‘nduja on top, allowing the oils to seep in and enhance the flavour of the orzo. Bake it for another 10 minutes.
Once it’s out of the oven, garnish the dish with fresh herbs prior to serving.