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:
I love your recipes but found this one boring in flavour. My husband said not to bother cooking it again . It was easy to make but not for us.
Nagy, would this one be suitable for freezing?
Tasty and quick midweek meal; enjoyed by all and will be making again. Many thanks.
Hello!
First of all I want to thank for wonderful site and recipes that always work. Tried already over 15 recipes, all tasty and kids eat.
However, I read comments and noticed that some people complain about “too tomato” and soupy. I took it in account and did only little change: I reduced water to 1 cup and added 1 cup half and half (there is milk in traditional Bolognese, but I’m worse than that). It slightly prolonged cooking time for orzo by 5 minutes. The rest remained unchanged and tasted as good, as 6 hours long Bolognese. Even my son, who hates orzo, ate huge bowl.
Please, keep posting and don’t take too close to heart if someone doesn’t know how to adjust recipe for personal liking.
Delicious and so easy! I doubled the quantity to make a larger meal for my big eaters and added a couple of handfuls of baby spinach at the end to get some more greens in.
Have to admit that I chose this recipe largely because I was looking for something quick and uncomplicated. But it was a lot tastier than I expected and will definitely cook it again. Thank you!
I only had small macaroni. I cooked it 3/4 the way through before I started the recipe so it was ready. I used 2 1/2 cups water with tbsp beef stock. I followed the recipe the rest of the way. It totally works with mac. It looked identical to the pics on this page, and we actually sat on the couch with it no issues. Tasted amazing.
The salt on this one was out for me. The 1 tsp wasn’t enough for both mince and orzo and ended up not being sure of the amount of salt needed. Otherwise turned out good and was a quick meal to prepare ahead of load shedding (in South Africa our electricity gets cut for any where between 2-4 hours at a time). Thank you Nagi
I have made this so many times & it turns out perfectly every time. It’s so easy yet soooooo good! Thanks Nagi for this beauty😍
After a hectic weekend, I ran out of time to meal prep my lunches for the week. Cut to getting home after 7pm Monday night and needing to whip up something quick, easy and reheat-able for lunch for the week, when I trawl RTE and find this recipe. Sounds too good to be true (even though Nagi’s recipes are always 5* and I’m not sure when I will learn to never doubt Nagi!), I’ve got all the ingredients for this recipe in the house, so on the stove it goes (while I’m prepping dinner for the night too), and it was SO quick and SO easy, no dramas in making it while rushing around making dinner, feeding dogs etc. Even better was how dang good it tastes. Just had my lunch, reheated perfectly, Orzo is perfectly cooked, sauce is bold and flavourful in the best way. Definitely hit the spot and will become a regular in the lunch rotation! I made it exactly to the recipe with no changes or substitutions. Quick, easy, cheap, healthy, reheat-able. Check, check, check, check, check. Thank you for another amazing recipe. In Nagi We Trust.
Nagi, this was delicious. I did add 4 anchovies at the start in the heated oil before adding the onions and garlic. I only had about 300ml of crushed tomatoes so I added a sachet of tomato paste (2tbs) and an extra 1.5 cups of water. I also added a tsp of chili flakes. So easy and I love that it was a 1 pot dish ! Easy clean up is always a bonus! Thank you and Merry Xmas to you and Dozer .
Made this with farro since I had no orzo. Hearty, delicious and healthy. My health-conscious teenager approves!
Loved this. Very quick & tasty
We all loved this recipe in our house!! Super quick and easy to make and so tasty. We’ll definitely be making this one again!
Love this dish. I add about 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar to take the edge off of the acidity in the tomatoes, but that’s the only change I make.
I knew I was on a winner when I searched risoni bolognaise and recipetineats came up first! This is glorious! I kinda went backwards and used 1 3/4 cans diced tomatoes because the passata in my grocery order got swapped out for jar sauce! Not having Italian herbs to hand either, I made up ~2tsp of cumin, coriander and fennel seeds (dry-roasted and crushed) with a scattering of dried marjoram and greek oregano. And a few fresh bay leaves for good measure. I think these are all bolognaise adjacent. Wooster sauce also got the substitute treatment with half and half tamari, balsamic vinegar and a tsp brown sugar. Total winner, thank you for being the best kitchen muse and mentor!
Hi Naggi
Any chance of doing a video for this dish.
Thank you.
I will add that to the list Soner! N x
Thanks really appreciate that, also made your spaghetti Bolognese yesterday for the first time (2 hour simmer) the family loved it and insisted I cooi it again.
Thanks again.
This is really good and so easy to make!
Thanks Sarah!! I’m happy you enjoyed it! N x
Sadly, this one was just not up to par with the other recipes here (which are always bursting with flavor).
Followed the recipe exactly, but ended up with a dish that was very one-note (tomato), soupy, and very little texture. Going to try this again, but double the spices and add a different shape pasta (and slightly more of it), to see if that improves the result. I hope to love it!
Thanks for your feedback RM – I’m sorry it wasn’t to your liking! N x
FYI, made this with store-bought pasta sauce instead of passata, proportions worked out just fine … it’s all about what you have on hand, right Thanks Nagi!