Greek Baked Orzo with Tomatoes and Feta
one pot, hands-off, genuinely satisfying

Everything goes into one oven-safe pot: orzo, crushed tomatoes, stock, garlic, a generous pour of olive oil, and crumbled feta scattered across the top. Into the oven it goes, and 25 minutes later it comes out with the pasta swollen and creamy, the feta melted into the sauce, and the surface blistered golden. This is a version of the Greek pasta dish known as giouvetsi, adapted for the pantry shelf.

The principle is the same as a rice pilaf or risotto baked in the oven: raw pasta or grain absorbs liquid directly in the pan, taking on the flavors of everything around it as it cooks. Unlike stovetop pasta where the starchy cooking water is drained away, here it concentrates into the sauce. The orzo becomes remarkably creamy through this process without any cream or butter — just pasta starch and good olive oil.

Feta is the other essential. It does two things: half of it goes in before baking and melts down into the tomato sauce, adding salt and a dairy richness. The other half goes on at the end and stays crumbly and sharp, providing textural contrast against the creamy pasta underneath. Use real feta — the block kind packed in brine — if you can find it; the pre-crumbled varieties tend to be drier and saltier.

What you need

• 300g (10 oz) orzo pasta — a small rice-shaped pasta found in most supermarkets; risoni is the same thing under a different name
• 1 can (400g / 14 oz) crushed tomatoes — whole peeled tomatoes that you crush by hand also work well
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced — garlic is generous here; do not reduce it
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil — the quality matters in this dish; use something you would dress a salad with
• 600ml (2½ cups) vegetable stock — or water with a stock cube
• 150g (5 oz) feta cheese, crumbled — divided into two portions
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes — optional but recommended
• Salt and black pepper
• Fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley to finish — optional

How to make it

Step 1: Preheat and sauté. Set the oven to 200°C (390°F / Gas 6). Place an oven-safe pot, Dutch oven, or deep ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil. When it shimmers, add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for one minute more, stirring constantly, until the garlic smells toasted rather than raw.

Step 2: Build the sauce. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pot. Stir to combine with the onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat for three minutes, letting the sauce reduce slightly. The tomatoes will darken a shade and smell more concentrated. Taste the sauce at this point — it should be bright and savory. Add a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper.

Step 3: Add orzo and stock. Pour in the dry orzo and stir it into the tomato sauce until coated. Pour in the stock. Stir once to distribute everything evenly. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat — you should see small bubbles breaking the surface across most of the pot. This matters because the orzo needs to be starting to cook before it goes in the oven; a cold pot going into the oven will take too long to come up to temperature and the orzo can cook unevenly.

Step 4: Top with feta and bake. Scatter about two-thirds of the crumbled feta evenly over the surface of the orzo. Do not stir it in — let it sit on top where it will melt down slowly through the pasta as it bakes. Transfer the pot, uncovered, to the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes. The orzo is done when all the visible liquid has been absorbed, the surface is golden in patches, and the edges are pulling away slightly from the sides of the pot.

Step 5: Finish and rest. Remove the pot from the oven. Scatter the remaining feta over the top — this portion stays fresh and crumbly as a contrast to the melted feta underneath. Let the pot rest for five minutes before serving; the orzo continues to absorb remaining moisture during this time and firms slightly, making it easier to serve. Tear fresh basil or parsley over the top if you have it.

On liquid ratios

The 600ml of stock is calibrated for 300g of orzo in a standard pot. If your pot is very wide with a large surface area, the liquid can evaporate faster during baking. Check at the 20-minute mark: if the surface looks dry and the edges are browning aggressively, add a splash of hot water (50–75ml) and return to the oven. If the pot is narrower and deeper, the orzo may need an extra 5 minutes of uncovered baking to get golden on top.

Chef notes

Leftover baked orzo reheats extremely well. Add a splash of water or stock before reheating in a covered pot over low heat, or in a covered dish in the microwave. The pasta loosens back up and tastes nearly as good the next day. It thickens considerably as it cools, which is expected.

Variations

• Add spinach: Stir two large handfuls of fresh or frozen spinach into the sauce before adding the orzo. It wilts into the pasta as it bakes.
• With olives: Scatter a small handful of pitted Kalamata olives over the top along with the feta before baking.
• Add white beans: Stir in a drained can of white beans with the orzo for extra protein and substance.
• Non-vegetarian version: Brown 300g of lamb mince or Italian sausage with the onion before adding the tomatoes. Classic giouvetsi is traditionally made with lamb.

See also: Baked tomato feta pasta · Lemon orzo vegetable soup · Pesto white bean soup · All recipes · Pricing