Cheesy Baked Orzo With Marinara Recipe (2024)

With very little extra effort, and superior results, take a few minutes to make Simple Marinara Sauceby MARTHA ROSE SHULMANTime: 30 minutesYield: Enough for 4 pasta servingshttps://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016478-simple-marinara-sauce?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-shareINGREDIENTS1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, seeded and chopped if not already chopped, with juice1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil2 garlic cloves, minced1/8 teaspoon sugara few sprigs of fresh basil, if availableSalt to taste

Loved this! I added sauteed mushrooms which went really well with the spinach and made it a bit more hearty.

As for myself, I'm a happy omnivore. But some cooks will want to be careful about the claim that this is a vegetarian recipe. Authentic Parmesan cheese contains rennet, which consists of enzymes from the stomachs of ruminant mammals such as cows. It's not meat, but it cannot be obtained from an animal without killing it. Thus, any dish that uses true Parmesan is not vegetarian. Mozzarella traditionally uses rennet, too, but I think vegetarian varieties are readily available.

Absolutely delicious fish! Make sure not to over cook the orzo, a little bite is very welcome. For none-veggies, we added a pound of Italian sausage which ended up being an amazing compliment to the flavors.

Doubled the garlic and tripled the red pepper.

Great, easy, versatile recipe. I used orecchiette (no orzo at the store), fontina (what I had on hand - and I probably used 1.5-2 cups, because I’m greedy), an extra clove of garlic, and a lot of red pepper flakes. I think the quality of marinara is important here (I used Rao’s as well). Added trumpet mushrooms per another commenter’s suggestion. Next time would use a sturdier green (kale, broccoli rabe), as the spinach was basically brown before it even went in the oven.

A good recipe to put into my monthly rotation. I used ditalini pasta since there was no orzo--used 2.5 (cooked) cups...this was fine. Thought it was tasty, and so did my 14yo son, who rated it above Amy's mac-n-cheese. So guess that's saying something :-)

I loved this. REALLY loved this. It is easy, tastes great, and keeps well. If anything, it tasted even better as leftovers. I used Aldi's specially selected marinara (blasphemy to some I am sure, but it is the best marinara I have ever tasted), and Beyond Meat sausage (far better for the environment that regular sausage, and much tastier IMHO). It was fantastic. I will definitely make this again and again.

This was a hit at game night! I already had Rao's fra diavlo sauce on hand so I used that instead of separate marinara sauce and red pepper flakes. Moreover, I doubled the garlic cuz I'm a bit of a garlic fiend. This dish was one of the quickest dishes I've ever made, and it's so delicious and versatile. You can add almost veggie you want. If you omit the cheese (or use non-dairy cheese) at the end, you can serve it to vegan friends and family.

I agree about the homemade marinara;this is perhaps the best marinara ever, ever.

I LOVE this recipe so much. I make it exactly as written, using Rao’s marinara.

I used kale instead of spinach, shredded fresh mozzarella from mozzarella balls, and made the marinara from scratch. The kale was much sturdier. less watery, and held up well, and the fresh mozzarella added a nice bright contrast to the dish. For serving, I reserved some of the marinara and ladled a bit more over the top and then added the chopped basil and grated parmesan.

This was absolutely delicious. I used a very small pasta instead of the orzo but it took nothing away from how good it tasted. I think the key is to use a good jarred pasta sauce and fresh basil is a must.

This is a great base recipe. I made it as printed but added some left over rotisserie chicken, kalamata olives and cherry peppers.

Not really something you need a recipe for, but seeing it gave me an excuse to indulge. Even following the suggestion to make your own marinara, it’s still weeknight doable. Can see me bringing it to the home of a new baby or recuperating friend.

Added 1 lb of sautéed mild Italian sausage prior to adding the sauce. It was a great addition!

Absolutely loved this, but I added an extra cup of orzo, otherwise it would have been soupy. Made exactly as written aside from that and I adored it!

Made this tonight using BelGiosioso’s smoked mozzarella and large leaf spinach from the farmers’ market; it was an yummy Monday night dinner. In lieu of the requisite fresh basil, I spooned dabs of basil pesto strategically after removing the pan from the oven. Even though I cut the recipe in half for the two of us it was more than we could enjoy at one sitting. Well received for sure, though!

This is a genius dish - delicious, easy and vegetarian, but even meat-eaters will like it. Tastes like pizza in a bowl. And you can toss in extra bits, like olives or slices of zucchini, and just make it better.

Used frozen spinach and leftover orzo, and that worked fine. Once it was fully cooked I turned the broiler on for 2 minutes to get the cheese on top a bit browned. Next time I would add sliced kalamata olives for a bit more flavor. Nice and easy for a weeknight, slightly indulgent dinner.

I found this a little too cheesy. I could have done with more orzo.

Definitely edible but pretty boring and too much tomato flavor. Might be a good one for kids, though.

Can add more spinach because it cooks down substantially.

You can add more spinach, if I recall correctly. It goes down substantially.

This is one I come back to often in the winter, with a few modifications: I use an arrabiata for some extra kick and stir in halved black olives when adding the cheese (and I go a little lighter on the mozzarella than the recipe calls for).

We doubled the recipe for a big family dinner that needed a vegetarian option. Everyone loved it, and there are some picky eaters in the group.

We found orzo to be a bit mushy, so we make this now with about two cups of elbow macaroni. This is a dead simple weeknight meal. And even though my kids know it’s pretty much just pasta and cheese, they think of it as a fancy meal!

Two cups Cooke orzo!

Easy and good. Next time I will increase the orzo to make it a little less saucy.

This was a hit! Used kale instead of spinach, doubled the garlic, and added mushrooms and zucchini. I also used the fresh basil as directed (key), those marinated mozzarella balls which added great flavor to the dish overall, and then seasoned well with pantry spices. Love the versatility of the recipe!