Is there a rule that says Bolognese has to be made with spaghetti? Why not orzo (risoni)? Especially given that you can make it all in ONE POT in 20 minutes! Introducing orzo / risoni bolognaise!
This was an accidental discovery. Sometimes it amazes me that I go to the grocery store almost every day and yet when I start making dinner, I’m missing a crucial ingredient. Like spaghetti for spaghetti bolognaise. Seriously. Who doesn’t have dried spaghetti in the pantry at all times?
I know, I’m weird. I think it’s the Japanese blood in my veins. I always have rice. But I don’t always have pasta.
I was about to get started with dinner when I realised I didn’t have spaghetti but I did have orzo. (It’s similar to rice in shape. Maybe that’s why I had it! 😉 ) And then the laziness kicked in, and I wondered – could I cook it IN the bolognaise sauce if I got the liquid ratio right?
Turns out you can. With absolutely zero comprise on flavour or texture. The orzo is perfectly al dente, and the bologanise is gloriously saucy.
You know what else I love about this? It’s great couch food. Have you ever tried eating spaghetti on the couch? Don’t do it! Well, if you do, wear a bib, have a pile of napkins beside you and I really hope your couch is NOT a white fabric couch.
But this Orzo Bolognaise is perfect for eating on the couch. A bowl, a spoon and a glass of wine while you watch whatever show helps you wind down after a long day. You can keep your eyes glued to the screen so you don’t miss a single critical moment of Game of Thrones and manage to scoff down dinner at the same time. (Talent. That’s what it’s called. Like driving and eating.)
And if that wasn’t enough, this is a fantastic midweek meal because it takes just 20 minutes from start to finish. 20 minutes! It’s just ridiculously fast and easy (and delicious!).
One key difference in this bolognaise sauce is that I make it using tomato passata instead of tinned tomatoes. I believe Americans also know it as tomato sauce (but not tomato sauce as Australians know it!).
Passata is simply pureed tomatoes and nowadays it’s sold in all grocery stores and costs around the same as tinned tomatoes. I love using passata because the sauce is smoother and thicker, unlike with crushed tinned tomatoes which you need to cook for a while for the tomatoes to break down.
This is the passata I use which you can find in the pasta section of Coles and Woolworths (supermarket chain in Australia). It comes in a large 25oz / 700g glass bottle. I keep the bottles and use them for all sorts of things, like storing sugar, salt, homemade stock. I even use them as vases and water jugs when I’m entertaining.
OK! Signing off. I have a HUGE bowl of Orzo Bolognaise to scoff down!
– Nagi x
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One Pot Orzo / Risoni Bolognaise
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic , minced
- 1 small onion , peeled and diced (brown, white or yellow)
- 1 lb / 500g ground beef (mince)
- 24 oz / 700g tomato passata (Note 3)
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp dried Italian Herbs , or any combination of dried parsley, oregano, basil
- 2 beef bouillon cubes (Note 1)
- 1/2 to 1 tsp salt (to taste)
- Black pepper
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups dried orzo / risoni
To serve (optional)
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet/fry pan (or pot) over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the mince and turn the heat up to high. Cook the mince, breaking it up as you go.
- When the mince is browned, add the remaining ingredients except the orzo. When the liquid comes to a simmer (it might bubble and spit slightly) add the orzo/risoni.
- Give it a quick stir then turn the heat down to medium low.
- Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently towards the end to ensure the orzo/risoni doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. If your liquid is evaporating too quickly, just add a slosh of hot water (tap or boiling).
- Remove the risoni from the heat. The risoni should be a teeny bit hard still and it should be very saucy when you take it off the stove. (Note 2)
- Check for seasoning (salt), then give it a good stir.
- Serve immediately, while it's piping hot and nice and saucy, garnished with freshly grated parmesan and parsley, if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Hi Nagi,
This was already one of my go-to recipes, I make it at least a couple of times a month. However, I recently fell and fractured my right wrist and I am now trying to perfect one-handed cooking, this was the first recipe I tried. I cheated and used commercial tomato sauce so i could skip the onion and garlic step, and in the last few minutes of cooking i threw in some frozen peas. It turned out really great, everyone loved it. 🙂
I’m so sorry to hear you’re injured Margie. 🙁 I hope you get better soon. And I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do!!
What is the minced meat you speak about, is that hamburger?
Hi Mariann! It’s what we call ground beef here in Australia 🙂 Updated recipe!
I have never cooked with orzo or risoni before and I couldn’t find it (looking in the rice section derr) so I just used basmati and it was still delicious! It’s 10 degrees in Sydney tonight so was nice to have something warm and comforting!
Thank you Shree! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for letting me know that this works with rice too! N x
Hi Nagi! I love this recipe!
And i never used to like spahgetti bolognese.
This way is so much better with risoni and i love how it absorbs the flavour.
I have made this recipe a number of times, most recently using lamb mince and a sprinkle of cinnamon and adding sautéed mushrooms during the simmering point. So delicious! Next up i will try the butter chicken recipe.
Thanks again Nagi x
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Melissa! Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
This looks palatable. made this last night and it was an immense hit. So natural and tasty… We added piles of hacked kale to it and sprinkled the top with Parmesan, basil and pine nuts and it was astonishing… Thanks for this one… another most loved for the family…
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Rony, and I LOVE your additions! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂 Happy weekend! N x
I want to try this but don’t have orzo on hand right now. Do you think another type of pasta would work? I have penne and linguine noodles… Thanks!
Hi Jennie! I’m sorry, this has to be made with orzo. I haven’t made it with other types of pastas and the liquid quantity definitely would need to be amended!
I tried it with 300 gms penne and it turned out well. Thanks!
WOAH! SO GLAD it worked, thanks so much for the tip Jennie!! 😉
I really appreciate that you reply to every comment. Thank you!
I broiled some mozzarella and parmesan on top, and it tasted a lot like lasagna, and the leftovers were even better! I plan to try it with orzo next time.
Ooooh, YAY!!! So glad you enjoyed it Jennie!! Nx
Did this last night. DEVOURED. It was absolutely delicious. I’ll tell you something though, & you can’t gasp!! I’ve been passionate about cooking for at least half of my 40 yrs…..never used orzo until that last recipe of yours that I did with orzo in it; One Pot Baked Greek Chicken. WHY HAVE I NEVER USED THIS STUFF??! Ok, you can gasp a lil’. I sure as heck am!
Also, I doubted you on the ten minutes….but I set the timer & obeyed. Well, from now on I will not doubt! It was wonderful & not over cooked!
I’m not gasping!! I didn’t use it until maybe 5 years ago. My weird mindset was that it was shaped like rice and I eat so much rice, I didn’t need more rice shaped food in my life!! So we can be weird together Josie! 😉 So glad you loved this!!! I have another reader who is in love with this recipe too! 🙂
Oh boy! I would say you had a weird mindset….but that was my “logic” too!! I eat a lot of rice, why would I eat a rice impersonator? Funny how ridiculous it sounds once I hear it! Oh well, I’m glad we both got past that. Today it’s going to snow & the high temperature is 3°C. I think it’s a good night for some Orzo Bolognaise!
Hi Nagi, this looks wonderful and I really want to make it for a dinner next week! Question – can I make it 24 hours ahead and reheat in the oven on the day? So much stuff tastes better the next day so I’m hoping this will too! Thankyou!
Hi Alexandra! For this, I don’t recommend making ahead. The pasta gets bloated!
I finally got round to making this last night – perfect for a rainy weekend in Atlanta, where we are experiencing the fringes of a hurricane. My husband said I had excelled – and I took all the credit. I used ground turkey as I thought it would make it a tad healthier. It’s absolutely delicious. Nagi, thanks for making cooking so much fun.
Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know you enjoyed it! Isn’t it lovely?? I really like orzo with bolognaise, it’s so yum! Turkey is fab with this, I can imagine how tasty it was. 🙂
Is there a category in the Guinness Book of Records for “Fastest Meal ever eaten by a family of 4 consisting of 2 adults, a fussy preschooler and a greedy guts toddler”? Because the record is so OURS!!!
20 minutes to cook, 10 minutes to eat, and ALL of us had seconds. Yes. ALL of us. The Big One actually wanted 3rds, and the Small One was very very very vocal when J Daddy failed to feed him fast enough.
I cooked a red curry last night that seriously lacked depth of flavour. First bite of our dinner tonight more than made up for the “flatness” of last night’s diner – this Risoni Bolognese is rich, full of flavour, and just so gloriously nommy! I omitted the onion (due to my heartburn), the black pepper (had to keep the kids in mind) and added half a bag of frozen spinach (thawed and all liquids squeezed out). I was licking the pan after dinner to chase the last drops of this awesome sauce.
This is DEFINITELY going in to regular rotation in our house! Thank you for yet another amazing recipe! (Photo will be posted on Instagram shortly.)
Loved it. Added some of my special mushroom salt and enjoyed it even more with a few chilli flakes mixed through on serving. A real winner and easy to make too. No chin splatter with bolognaise is always a bonus.
“Chin splatter!” Oh, that’s gold, that’s exactly what it is!! 🙂
This makes me laugh. A few months ago we hired a woman to help us get organised and shortly after I decided that she’d tossed out all the dried pasta from the pantry so I went out and bought all new. Then one day I decided to start cleaning out the freezer and in the bottom drawer, she’d put all the pasta, taco shells and everything else she could fit in there.
So I’m all pasta’d up but I don’t have any risoni. I ate it all. 🙂 This dish looks like perfect comfort food.
Dried pasta in the freezer? That’s a new one!
I Made this recipe Las saturday and one word: AMAZING. My partner loved it! Do you own a restaurant in Sydney ? I’m living in newcastle and if you have a restaurant definitely I would go
Cheers!!
Maria.
Ps: thank you for your quick response to my question about the beef cheek in a pressure pot. Def I will try again. It is an awesome recipe.
Hi Maria! So lovely to hear from fellow Aussies! Nope, no restaurant, just me bumbling around my own kitchen. Ooh, one of my best friends lives in Newcastle! I LOVE Newcastle! Especially love that there are so many fab beaches in the area that you can even taken dogs too!! And the markets are better than any of the ones in Sydney. Hope you do try the beef cheek, I think you’ll love it! Suggest getting them from the butcher, usually cheaper than from Coles/Woolies etc. 🙂
OH, and I’m so glad you loved this recipe!! It’s so easy, isn’t it? Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know you loved it!! 🙂
Thank you for your answer. Indeed Newcastle is a beautiful place.
Made this last night and it was a huge hit. So easy and delicious… We added heaps of chopped kale to it and sprinkled the top with Parmesan, basil and pine nuts and it was amazing… Thanks for this one… A new favourite for the family…
Hi Tracey! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Thank you so much for coming back to let me know!
You always have the best one pot dishes! This looks so comforting! My husband and I always eat on our coffee table and in front of our TV for Game of Thrones’ nights. I love that this dish won’t be messy to eat! Not only it is a great couch food, I also don’t have to worry about my white (or light color) shirts 😀
Thank you so much, you’re so sweet!! And YES no mess is a huge + factor in this!! 😉
I always love your one pot meals! And I’m totally with you on the mechanics of trying to eat spaghetti while on the couch watching your favorite show – I look like a small child who just had their first bowl of pasta 😉 This is certainly much easier to consume while lounging 😉
I’ve never tried passata – I’ll have to give it a go!
Never tried passata? I am really curious, I thought it was becoming more common in the US? We could only get it in speciality stores 10 years ago but now they are in all the supermarkets, quite a few different options too!
Ah man!!! Now I want a bowl of this and a couch! 🙂
The couch part always sounds especially enticing! 😉
Anything I can cook in one pot always speaks to me! I always have some kind of pasta shape in my pantry, usually several. So I’d be prepared to make this! Really like the idea of orzo, though — such a fun shape, don’t you think? And this sauce looks terrific. Thanks!
Fun is right! Added bonus that you can eat it with a spoon! 🙂
Oh, yes, please – Nagi – love these kinds of dishes as you have probably guessed:-)
Always Rachel….our similarity when it comes to our taste in food is scary! N x
Are you serious! I made this the other week! I had no regular dried pasta in my drawer so I used the risoni that had been sitting in there forever. Great minds, huh!
I had some left over so I put it in a dish, smothered it with panko crumbs and grated cheddar and parmesan and baked it for 20 minutes. OMG!
Woah. Can’t believe we’re on the same page!! He he! (Are you sure it wasn’t homemade risoni you used?)
Ha! Highly unlikely!
This looks delicious! I love how you converted a non-date kind of food like spaghetti into one that you can gracefully eat on a date (even first dates) by using orzo.
Thank you Thao! I do love your reference to this as date food!!! Ha ha!!