This Tomato and Bacon Orzo is the type of dinner that makes everybody drift into the kitchen asking what smells so good. The orzo cooks straight within the tomatoey sauce, absorbing all that savoury bacon flavour, with little bursts of sun-blushed tomato and creamy crumbled cheddar tucked in on the finish. It’s bought that beautiful risotto-style consolation, however with out all of the standing and stirring. Only a few good stirs right here and there, a pan of cosy tomato orzo effervescent away, and dinner is sorted in about half-hour.
Nicky’s Notes
Orzo is so underrated! It makes an excellent different to risotto, and you may cook dinner it straight in your sauce – which means it absorbs all the beautiful flavour! The bacon, sun-blushed tomatoes and crumbled chunks of cheddar all add little zings of flavour once you’re consuming it too. So tasty!
On this recipe, the bacon does a whole lot of heavy lifting. Frying it first offers you crisp little salty bites, nevertheless it additionally leaves behind flavour within the pan, which then works its means into the garlic, tomatoes, inventory and orzo.
The sun-blushed tomatoes are my favorite little further right here. They add a candy, tangy richness that makes the entire dish style prefer it’s had for much longer on the hob than it really has. And the cheddar? That’s the cosy end. Little craggy chunks melting into the nice and cozy orzo, sure please 😋.
📋 Substances for tomato & bacon orzo
***Full recipe with detailed portions within the recipe card beneath***
EG potato starch for crispness. Additionally if a couple of ingredient picture then add a H3 heading for every.
Ingredient Swaps
You may swap the streaky bacon for again bacon if that’s what you may have, although streaky offers the most effective crispiness and flavour. Pancetta would additionally work superbly.
For a vegetarian model, use chopped vegetarian sausages or a vegetarian bacon-style different, and swap the hen inventory for vegetable inventory.
Solar-blushed or sun-soaked tomatoes add a stunning intense flavour, however chopped roasted peppers can be a great different if you would like one thing a bit of softer and sweeter.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps within the recipe card beneath***
Fry the bacon till crispy, then carry out, leaving the beautiful bacon oil behind. Add garlic, tinned tomatoes, inventory, orzo, tomato purée and seasoning, then simmer with a lid on till the orzo is tender. Stir by the spinach, sun-blushed tomatoes and chopped bacon, then end with crumbled cheddar.
Recipe Suggestions
- Stir the orzo a couple of instances whereas it cooks. It takes a bit of longer to cook dinner in sauce than it does in boiling water, and stirring helps it cook dinner evenly whereas stopping it from catching on the underside of the pan.
Wealthy, tomatoey and savoury, with smoky bacon, sweet-tangy sun-blushed tomatoes and mushy little bites of orzo in each forkful. The cheddar melts simply sufficient to provide you creamy pockets with out overpowering the sauce.
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📺 Watch make it
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Warmth the oil in a big frying pan (skillet) over a medium-high warmth.
1 tablespoon oil
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Add the bacon, and fry for 5-6 minutes, till crispy. Take away from the pan, leaving the oil behind. Flip the warmth all the way down to low.
200 g (7oz) streaky bacon
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Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds, then add the tinned tomatoes, inventory, orzo, tomato puree, salt and pepper.
2 cloves garlic, 400 g (14oz) tin finely chopped tomatoes, 360 ml (1 ½ cups) hen inventory, 200 g (7oz) dried orzo, 1 tablespoon tomato puree (tomato paste), ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
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Stir collectively and convey to the boil. Flip all the way down to a simmer, place a lid on and cook dinner for 12-14 minutes, stirring often, till the orzo is cooked by.
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Whereas the orzo is cooking, chop the bacon into small items.
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When the orzo is cooked, take away the lid and stir by the spinach, sun-blushed tomatoes and cooked bacon.
100 g (3.5 oz) child spinach, 250 g sun-blushed/sun-soaked tomatoes in oil
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Sprinkle the crumbled cheddar on high and serve.
100 g (3.5 oz) cheddar cheese
Make it vegetarian: Swap out the bacon for chopped up vegetarian sausages or vegetarian-style bacon different. Swap the hen inventory for vegetable inventory.
Energy: 695kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 24g | Fats: 42g | Saturated Fats: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 6g | Monounsaturated Fats: 18g | Trans Fats: 0.1g | Ldl cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 1835mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g
Diet info is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
This tomato & bacon orzo recipe was first posted in July 2026.
🍽️ What to serve it with
This can be a full meal by itself, however I do adore it with one thing contemporary or crunchy on the aspect.
Serve it with do-it-yourself garlic bread for mopping up that tomatoey sauce, or add a easy inexperienced salad if you wish to maintain issues lighter.
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