This one-pot, pantry-friendly pasta is an invaluable addition to your repertoire. Whether you spent weeks traveling and are coming home to a near-empty fridge, or you simply can’t find the energy to whip up an elaborate meal, this recipe can be a crutch for those nights when your fridge is bare. Here fast-cooking orzo gets toasted in olive oil that’s infused with the punchy puttanesca-inspired flavors of garlic, capers, and green olives before cooking in a flavorful tomato broth amped up with dried oregano. Small pasta varieties like orzo are ideal for one-pot dishes as they will cook evenly in relatively small amounts of liquid. The starch they release as they cook adds a creaminess to the sauce for an effect similar to risotto. The whole thing comes together in under an hour and all in one pot, making it an ideal meal to whip up at a moment's notice. Serve with a scattering of fresh Parmesan and whole basil leaves if you have them.
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What you’ll need
Dutch Oven
$100 $80 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$13 At Amazon
Fine Mesh Strainer With Arms
$17 $11 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
50 minutes
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°. Heat ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy ovenproof pot over medium. Add 12 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and cook, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Add one 14-oz. jar pitted green olives, drained, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup), one 3.5-oz. jar capers, rinsed (about ½ cup), and ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, just until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Step 2
Add 12 oz. orzo and one 6-oz. can tomato paste to pot and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste coats orzo and is darkened in color, about 4 minutes. Add one 15.5-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed, 1 tsp. dried oregano, 1 tsp. sugar, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 4⅓ cups water, stirring to scrape up any browned bits stuck to bottom of pot.
Step 3
Cover pot, transfer to oven, and bake until orzo is tender and about 80% of liquid has been absorbed, 30–35 minutes (having some liquid on top is okay as the orzo will continue to absorb it). Remove pot from oven, remove lid, and stir in 2 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about 1 cup). Taste orzo and season with more salt if needed and freshly ground black pepper.
Step 4
To serve, divide orzo evenly among shallow bowls. Top each bowl of orzo with more Parmesan if desired, then season with a little more black pepper.
Recipe notes
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