Bolognese Baked Orzo | One Pot One Portion
If you fancy a date night for one and you're not sure what to cook then you need to try this one-pot baked orzo! It tastes similar to a bolognese, or even a one-pot lasagne, but feels that little bit extra special. The perfect dinner for one when you want to make extra effort for yourself.
Hello readers! I'm Eleanor..
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About this dish
Based on one of my favourite recipes from my cookbook (and one of the first one pot one portion recipes I ever created) this baked orzo is a level up from a standard one-pot bolognese and feels that little bit extra delicious.
Usually when you think of date night dinners you think of quite a lot of hassle, maybe some fancy ingredients or something expensive but I don't think it has to be like that. Don't get me wrong, fancy dinners and expensive ingredients can be nice but they're not necessary for a really delicious dinner for one, or for that extra special feeling.
I think a lot of that feeling comes with setting the right intentions for your meal. If you light a candle, put on your favourite playlist and perhaps pour yourself a glass of wine or your favourite kombucha, then you're already going to feel like you've made extra effort for yourself- and really that's what date night is all about! Showing yourself (or someone else) just that little bit of extra love or thought.
So, you set the table and crack open the bottle, and I'll provide the recipe! This bolognese baked orzo truly couldn't be more simple, you just start by making a meat ragu then add orzo and top with cheese. Let it bubble away in the oven and you're done! It's hard to say you don't deserve this when it's really this simple.
For full step by step instructions you can watch my youtube video here:
If you like this recipe you might also like my other one pot one portion pasta recipes like my SPAGHETTI AGLIO, OLIO E PEPERONCINO, my CREAMY CHICKEN & CHORIZO ORZO or my TOMATO, TAMARIND & CHICKPEA PASTA WITH CRISPY GARLIC.
Why you want to make this recipe
Easy Comfort Food
I love a savoury breakfast and find that they start my in the right way, keeping me satiated and full for the whole morning. These high protein cottage cheese egg muffins are especially good because they not only pack in protein from the eggs and cottage cheese, but also fibre and micronutrients from the pepper, scallions and jalapeños. They're just an all round really great breakfast and they take only a couple of minutes longer than it would take to make scrambled eggs!
One Pot Recipe
As with all of my recipes, this is a one pot dish or one pan dish, which makes every meal time easier and more enjoyable. Cooking for one is hard so only having one dish at the end of the meal keeps this feeling easy and accessible-because it is!
Single-Serve
Again, as always, this recipe is for single-serve tacos so you can make this just for yourself! The perfect dinner for one. Though it would be very easy to scale up to serve multiple people if needed.
Elements of the Dish
Bolognese
- The recipe starts off with a fairly classic meat ragu that would be used usually in a bolognese. Onions and garlic are sautéed before adding tomato purée, red wine (optional but adds a lovely richness to the dish), tinned tomatoes and herbs. The key to a good ragu is TIME! You need to let it bubble and blip away for a while before adding in the orzo to deepen the flavour.
Orzo
- One of the best pasta shapes, if you ask me, orzo works so well in this dish because it's a similar size to the pieces of meat and veg in the bolognese meaning you get a piece of everything in each bite. That's exactly what you want when making a one pot recipe!
Melted Cheesy Top
- No baked pasta is complete without an oozy cheesy baked top- it's the best part! I've topped mine with fresh mozzarella for the ultimate stringy cheese pull but you could easily use cheddar or another hard cheese if you have that in.
Ingredients and Tools
Onions & Garlic
- A classic base for any ragu, onions and garlic set the foundations for flavour in this dish. Simply sweat them off in olive oil before adding your other ingredients.
Ground Beef/Ground Port
- I like to use ground beef for my bolognese but you could use beef or pork mince! Or switch it up for a vegetarian alternative.
Canned Tomatoes
- Tinned tomatoes are one of the ingredients that try not to scrimp on so I'd say buy the best quality ones you can. Mutti is my favourite brand!
Red Wine
- This is optional and you could leave it out, but it adds a depth of flavour that I love!
Orzo
- You can use any pasta shape for this dish but my preference is orzo, which is a rice-shaped pasta. It's tiny which means that you get a bit of everything in each bite. It also cooks evenly and, as this is a one-pan dish, the orzo cooks in the sauce which releases the starch from the pasta contributing to a silky cohesive sauce.
Fresh Mozzarella
- The best part of any baked pasta is the stringy cheese! I love fresh mozzarella but you could use whatever cheese you have in.
1 Oven Proof Pan
- A small skillet is my favourite pot, and you want something that around 7 inches/20cm wide. You can find my favourite ones here
Step by step instructions
Make the ragu: Add a couple of teaspoons of olive oil to an oven proof dish and add the onions. Fry off for 4-5 minutes until soft then add in the garlic and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add in the ground beef or pork and use your spatula to break it down. Fry for another 5 minutes until it is brown, then add in the tomato puree and cook for another 4-5 minutes. You want the tomato to turn a deep dark colour as this means more depth and flavour! Add in the red wine (if using) and let that cook until it is mostly evaporated and the alcohol is cooked off. Add in the tinned tomatoes, the beef stock cube, the mixed herbs and the water and stir together until the stock cube is dissolved.
Add the orzo: Add in the orzo and stir until well combined. You want to let this bubble for just a couple of minutes then turn off the heat and top with your shredded or grated cheese!
Bake: Pop it in the oven for around 30 minutes until the orzo is cooked and the mozzarella is golden brown. Depending on the size and shape of your pan you may need to add a little extra water around the edges of the pan if it's looking dry but for the most part you want it to thicken up nicely! After 30 minutes, try a piece of orzo to make sure it's cooked and if it's not then keep it in for another 5 minutes or so.
Serve: Let it cool slighlty, the top with fresh basil, if using. Dig in and enjoy!
Variations, substitutions or modifications
Gluten-Free:
To make this gluten free simply replace the orzo with a gluten-free alternative!
Vegetarian:
To make this vegetarian simply use a vegetarian ground meat alternative (like a soy mince, crumbled tofu or even lentils). Use a vegetable stock cube instead of a beef stock cube and you're good to go!
FAQs
Can I make a double portion?
- You can easily double up this single-serve recipe just by doubling the ingredients.
If you like this recipe you might also like my other one pot one portion pasta recipes which you can find here on my recipe page, then filtering by ingredient type>pasta: SINGLE SERVE PASTA RECIPES
Ingredients
To Serve 1 You Need:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 Small White Onion, finely chopped
- 3 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
- 125g Ground Beef or Pork
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Puree
- 100ml Red Wine (optional)
- 200g Good Quality Tinned Tomatoes
- 1 Beef Stock Cube
- 1/2 Tsp Dried Mixed Herbs
- 200ml Water
- 85g Orzo
- Fresh Mozzarella or Cheddar (measure with your heart and add as much as you like, but I'd say anything from 30g-100g depending on the cheese you use is good!)
- Salt
- Black Pepper
To Serve:
- Fresh Basil Leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven/air fryer to 200ºC/180ºC fan.
- Add a couple of teaspoons of olive oil to an oven proof dish and add the onions. Fry off for 4-5 minutes until soft then add in the garlic and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the ground beef or pork and use your spatula to break it down. Fry for another 5 minutes until it is brown, then add in the tomato puree and cook for another 4-5 minutes. You want the tomato to turn a deep dark colour as this means more depth and flavour!
- Add in the red wine (if using) and let that cook until it is mostly evaporated and the alcohol is cooked off.
- Add in the tinned tomatoes, the beef stock cube, the mixed herbs and the water and stir together until the stock cube is dissolved.
- Add in the orzo and stir until well combined. You want to let this bubble for just a couple of minutes then turn off the heat and top with your shredded or grated cheese!
- Pop it in the oven for around 30 minutes until the orzo is cooked and the mozzarella is golden brown. Depending on the size and shape of your pan you may need to add a little extra water around the edges of the pan if it's looking dry but for the most part you want it to thicken up nicely! After 30 minutes, try a piece of orzo to make sure it's cooked and if it's not then keep it in for another 5 minutes or so.
- Let it cool slighlty, the top with fresh basil, if using. Dig in and enjoy!
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Subscribe to my newsletter for weekly meal plans, for one! I select 5 one pot one portion recipes that use similar ingredients and include your shopping list plus recipe notes, ingredient swaps and tips and tricks for using up leftovers. Take a look at the first one here...
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The perfect fresh, but still flavourful, summer salad! This is a beautiful fragrant salad with a creamy, zingy coconut milk dressing. With just a little bit of chopping and a minute of whisking, you’ve got a gorgeous summer lunch, perfect for working from home, taking lunch to the office or a sunny meal in the garden this weekend.
Some big praise!
Take a look at what some of my happy customers have to say about "One Pot, One Portion"!
"One Pot One Portion is, to borrow from The Parent Trap “a brilliant beyond brilliant idea”…I know many feel that it’s too much bother to cook ‘just’ for themselves — a sad admission, I feel — and to those people, and many others besides, I say: get this book and prove yourself liberatingly wrong!…Thank goodness for books! And thank goodness for Eleanor Wilkinson, a young talent to lift the spirits…There are so many people who could benefit from this book…this book is a boon and a blessing"
"A genius approach to bringing joy to every meal, Eleanor gets that good food is the best form of self-love."
I buy a lot of cook books and this is genuinely one of the best l've ever bought. I've tried 6 or 7 recipes so far and they're all winners. I'm well used to scaling recipes down to one portion, but not having to calculate measurements as l go along feels like a little luxury. One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up! Highly recommended.
I have been following Eleanor on IG for a while and have made several of her dishes before the cookbook came out. I was thrilled to see so many new things to try and have already made about 6 of them. Her recipes are approachable, the dishes are delicious, and they make me feel like I can cook! Highly recommend.
If you love eating good home cooked food but can't be bothered to cook just for yourself, then this is the book for you. Using ingredients that are easy to find, then mixing, cooking and eating from the same pan or dish means a minimum of washing up. Every recipe I have tried so far has been delicious and have all turned out well which isn't always the case with many cookery books. Definitely recommend!
Following Eleanor on Instagram and seeing her recipes come to life is one thing but then having them in my own kitchen is quite another. Not only are the recipes easy to follow and delicious she also help you not to waste food. This book is like having all your favourite foods in one place with the added bonus of an old friend showing you the ropes. Congratulations Eleanor when can I pre-order the next one?
Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This is perfect, as far as influencer chefs go, I find this book refreshing in what has become a cohort of lauded influencers who really aren't doing much more than the bog standard meals most people make anyway, or making googled recipes and adding their own "flair". This book is different as it's your normal fare you'd likely make yourself, given a little bit of a twist to speed up the process / use less utensils / ingredients / food waste, in really creative and tasty ways, all perfectly portioned for one.
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This recipe book is stunning and fulfils its role brilliantly in catering for individuals who want to eat delicious meals, but don't want to prepare family sized portions or devote their entire evening to cooking. Who'd believe you could make an entire roast for one person and only use one pan in the process! She is a genius and I couldn't recommend this book any more highly.
One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up!
This is the book I've been waiting for! I (very happily!) live alone, love to cook and read cookery books, but every recipe is for two people or more. This gorgeous book contains recipes perfectly proportioned for one person (and I'm always a very hungry one person!) which ensures more variety, less food waste, and pure, gluttonous joy.
It's so nice to finally have a recipe book that I can go to if I want a quick easy meal with minimal cleaning up required! Everything l've tried so far is delicious. And I salivate at the thought of everything in there!
Totally reignited my cooking mojo which had been MIA for a while. I'm going to buy my daughter a copy to take back to Uni too as everything is simple and delicious - perfect for a student!
Best cookbook for somebody single!
The fact I know I won't have loads to wash up really feels motivating and l've earmarked so many of the recipes already.
This book is like having all your favourite foods in one place with the added bonus of an old friend showing you the ropes. Congratulations Eleanor when can I pre-order the next one?