Creamy Baked Orzo with Meatballs
Total Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Rating
4 out of 5 stars
(35)
Ingredients
6-8 servings
- 16 ounces DeLallo orzo
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 cups ready-to-serve tomato soup (like this one)
- 2–3 cups premade chicken meatballs (store-bought frozen or homemade)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons butter
- fresh basil for topping
- DeLallo Private Reserve Olive Oil for topping
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Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pour the orzo, vegetable broth, tomato soup, meatballs, and tomatoes into a 9×13 baking dish. Stir to get everything coated and combined.
Step 2
Bake for 25 minutes. Give it a little stir and check the texture. If needed, bake for another 10 minutes to let the orzo finish absorbing the liquid. Fluff up the orzo with a fork and stir in any remaining liquid that might be bubbling around the edges. This will gently break down the tomatoes and release some of their juices as well. (As the orzo sits, it will continue to absorb liquid so add more tomato soup or broth as desired.)
Step 3
Add the Parmesan, garlic, and butter; stir to melt it in. Top with fresh basil leaves, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Step 4
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Chef's notes
This is the definition of a weeknight hero! It’s comforting, cozy, and ridiculously easy to make.
Pour everything in a pan, bake it in the oven, and be rewarded with a creamy baked orzo that is full of simple, nostalgic flavor. It has a Spaghetti-O’s vibe in the most delicious way – a little extra starchy with the baked-all-together texture, plus rocking that comforting taste of store-bought tomato soup. And with all the coziness, the addition of fresh garlic, butter, Parmesan, and fresh basil gives it the perfect amount of lift.
I actually love this meal without any meatballs at all – the first time I made it, I just had the roasty tomatoes, the creamy tomato orzo, and the parmesan, garlic, butter, and basil finishers. It was SO good, I practically ate half the pan by myself.
But if you are looking to add some protein, meatballs are a good choice – and my first recommendation, of course, would be the baked chicken meatballs. I’ve also had good luck with just throwing a bag of store bought frozen meatballs right in there, although you might not even need the whole bag – usually half a bag, or a few meatballs per person, is good enough for us.
