Baked Feta Orzo
This creamy, meat-free Baked Feta Orzo tastes just like sunshine! We’ve combined filling, tender orzo pasta with oven-roasted, juicy tomatoes, asparagus and plenty of feta cheese. When the feta is soft, that’s your cue to mash it up until it mixes nicely with the veggies in the roasting dish. For good measure, we’ve stirred in a good dollop of reduced-fat cream cheese too. It’s the most effortless cheese sauce you’ll ever make!
Also in these categories:
NutritionPer Serving
- Calories469
- Carbs59g
- Protein23g
- Fat15g
- Saturates9g
- Sugars4.6g
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
If you love a creamy, flavour-filled dinner, pop this Baked Feta Orzo in your oven tonight. Since it’s mainly cooked in an oven dish (apart from a saucepan to boil your orzo until tender), it’s pretty much a one-pot wonder.
Orzo works like a dream to soak up the flavours from the colourful veggies and cheese. The cheesy ‘sauce’ is practically made for you, since your oven will melt down the feta until it’s soft enough to mix – and the heat from the dish makes stirring in reduced-fat cream cheese a low-effort finishing touch.
There’s no shortage of filling, nutritious veggies here, as we’ve also oven-roasted cherry tomatoes until they’re juicy, plus added asparagus, leek, green beans and spinach. This dish might be light and meat-free, but it’s a full, satisfying dinner!
When we’re really hungry, we’ll top a portion with a fillet of salmon.
What diets is this Baked Feta Orzo suitable for?
This Baked Feta Orzo recipe is suitable for vegetarian diets.
As always, take extra care when cooking for people with allergies and be sure to use different utensils, cookware and preparation areas.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Baked Feta Orzo?
If you haven’t heard of orzo before, it’s basically a type of pasta that looks a bit like rice! You should be able to pick it up in your local supermarket in the pasta aisle.
Send us a Hint or Tip
We love hearing from you, submit any tips or tricks you have for this dish and we’ll review them and add some of them here. Just click here.
SEND US a HINT & TIP, Or QUOTE for this recipe
THANKS
we have your picture
The process
- Check
Now we have your Hint & tip
we’ll check them over. - Review We’ll review your Hint & Tip, and see if its suitable to use on the website.
Your details
- Name: %name%
- Recipe: %recipeName%
YOUR HINTS & TIPS
Your “QUOTE”
SWAG!
Due to the large number of submissions we recieve we’re afraid we’ll only inform you if we use it on the Recipe page - then we’ll send you some swag…
(Please remember others may of had the same idea as you!)
‘Really easy and it tastes so good!’
This post contains affiliate links: what this means
A large ovenproof casserole dish will come in handy for this recipe.
Dried orzo is great for making silky, risotto-like pasta dishes.
How many calories are in this Baked Feta Orzo?
There are 469 calories per portion in this Baked Feta Orzo, which means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence category.
To cut down the amount of calories even more, you can simply halve the portion size and serve with a healthy accompaniment!
This Baked Feta Orzo is perfect if you’re following a calorie-controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Step 2
Spray an oven-dish with low-calorie cooking spray and add the feta to the dish. Cook for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Add the tomatoes, asparagus, leek, green beans and garlic. Spray again and return to the oven for 20 minutes.
Step 4
Cook the orzo according to the packet instructions, ours took about 10 minutes. Drain, saving the cooking water.
Step 5
Mash the feta until smooth.
Step 6
Add the cooked orzo and spinach and stir well. The spinach will wilt from the heat of the pasta and vegetables.
Step 7
Add the cream cheese and a little of the cooking water, stir well and add a little more water if needed until the sauce has the right consistency for your taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.
What could I serve with this Baked Feta Orzo?
This dish is filling enough on its own, but if you’re in the mood for something extra, here are a few ideas:
How do you know when Baked Feta Orzo is cooked?
You’ll need to cook this Baked Feta Orzo until everything is cooked through and the orzo is tender.
Here in the UK, the standard advice is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and maintained that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep you and your family safe!
How long can you keep Baked Feta Orzo in the fridge?
Once you’ve served this recipe, you’ll ideally need to eat it within 4 hours.
You can store any leftovers of this Baked Feta Orzo in the fridge for around 3 days. Make sure that you allow them to cool before putting them in a container with a lid and chilling in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze Baked Feta Orzo?
Yes, you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough in individual portions.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label telling you the name of the recipe and the date you’re stashing your leftovers away.
How do I reheat Baked Feta Orzo?
From chilled: Place in a microwave-proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes. Stir, then cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.
ORDER Our NEW cookbook Air Fryer NOW
Baked Feta Orzo
This creamy, meat-free Baked Feta Orzo tastes just like sunshine! We’ve combined orzo pasta with oven-roasted veggies and plenty of feta.
-
Prep Time
15 MINS
-
Cook Time
30 MINS
- KCals 469
- Carbs 59G
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Spray an oven-dish with low-calorie cooking spray and add the feta to the dish. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, asparagus, leek, green beans and garlic. Spray again and return to the oven for 20 minutes.
- Cook the orzo according to the packet instructions, ours took about 10 minutes. Drain, saving the cooking water.
- Mash the feta until smooth.
- Add the cooked orzo and spinach and stir well. The spinach will wilt from the heat of the pasta and vegetables.
- Add the cream cheese and a little of the cooking water, stir well and add a little more water if needed until the sauce has the right consistency for your taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
—
We agreed with Slimming World to remove their trademarked terms from our website
If you’ve made Baked Feta Orzo and love it, let us know by sharing a photo and tagging us on Instagram or in our Facebook group!
0 comments
See what others have to say
Join the conversation
Comment or ask our advice