Creamy Orzo with Tomato and Mascarpone

This Creamy Orzo with Tomato and Mascarpone recipe is brilliant to make as a low-effort meal. It's also one of the best and easiest pasta dishes I know, pairing burst cherry tomatoes and a pinch of chilli flakes to make a delicious orzotto-style dish without all that stirring, finished with fresh basil, creamy mascarpone cheese and plenty of parmesan.

Perfect in a bowl on its own this Creamy Tomato Orzo with Mascarpone makes the perfect weeknight dinner, but it can also be served as a side dish to grilled chicken or fish. It would be delicious with Salmon with Pesto Crust, for example. If you need more orzo inspiration, try my Greek Orzo Salad.

Why you'll love this recipe:

• This orzo dish is super easy and hands off. Roast the sauce and mix with cooked orzo. Done!
• The recipe can be easily scaled up if cooking for a larger crowd. You can even make the sauce in advance and reheat later when cooking the orzo.
• Boiling the orzo separately and draining means you don't need to work out any particular proportions to ensure it all absorbs and cooks fully, as you would for a one pan orzo or risotto.
• The tomatoes are sweet and delicious with the creamy mascarpone and mellow garlic - the flavours are delicious, whilst remaining quick and easy.

Ingredients

Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!

Cherry Tomatoes: These are full of sweetness and burst when roasted to create the sauce. I typically go for on-the-vine tomatoes but since they are being roasted here, the sweetness and flavour are brought out anyway so feel free to use any cherry tomatoes. You could also roast large tomatoes, chopped into chunks.

Dried Chilli Flakes: regular dried chilli flakes are great here for adding flavour and heat, but Aleppo chilli will provide the same lovely flavours but with a little less heat.

Olive Oil: As it's for roasting, don't use your fanciest bottle. You only need a drizzle to cover the tomatoes before roasting.

Fresh Basil: Don't skip this one, it adds such great flavour to the dish and is a perfect match with cherry tomatoes.

Garlic: I like 3 cloves in the recipe as the roasting mellows them out. They are then smashed into the sauce so you won't eat a whole clove but it brings lovely garlic flavour to the whole dish.

Orzo: Orzo is a small Italian pasta shape that resembles rice. When mixed with a sauce, it creates an almost risotto texture (hence the orzotto name you sometimes see) but it requires none of the stirring at the stove for 40 minutes which risotto does need. You can find orzo in all (big) supermarkets these days, in the pasta section. Any will do.

Mascarpone Cheese: This is the creamy element of the tomato orzo. You find it in the cheese section, it's a creamy, thick Italian cheese with a high fat content (around 40%) and a similar consistency to cream cheese. It's also used in sweet recipes too like Pistachio Tiramisu.

Grated Parmesan: you can use pecorino instead if you have that on hand. If you need this orzo and tomato recipe to be vegetarian, make sure your choice of hard cheese is vegetarian friendly!

Substitutions and Variations

Orzo: The orzo is great here as it creates a risotto texture, but you could also use other pasta shapes if you have those on hand. If using a larger pasta shape than orzo, I would reserve some pasta water before draining as it may need loosening when mixing together. You could also use giant couscous, which will have a similar texture to orzo.

Tomatoes: If cherry tomatoes are hard to find, you could use larger tomatoes. Make sure they are chopped before roasting. Plum tomatoes are also a good option.

Mascarpone: Any creamy product with a high fat content would work. Cream cheese or double cream are both good options, or even creme fraiche. I wouldn't use yoghurt however, as I think it would be too tart.

Adding vegetables: You could add other vegetables to the tomatoes when roasting. Some chopped red onion would be delicious or adding something like chopped tenderstem broccoli would bump up the veg in this recipe. The broccoli won't mash into the sauce though so you would have chunks of broccoli through it - just bear in mind! Adding a handful of spinach to the sauce for the last few minutes of roasting would be delicious too. It will wilt down into the sauce.

Adding meat: If you want to add protein, either serve alongside fish or grilled chicken (see my suggestions below) or you could also just grill/fry some chicken breast/thighs, then chop up and stir through the final dish. Some garlic prawns stirred through would also be delicious.

Make it spicy: Add a more generous pinch of chilli flakes when roasting and then finish with more chilli flakes when done. Or take a fresh red chilli, chopped, and add to the roasting tin with the tomatoes. Then it will become part of the sauce at the end, with a good level of heat. Adjust how much chilli or the type of chilli, depending on your preference.

Here's how to make Creamy Orzo with Tomato and Mascarpone

Here's a step-by-step guide for what you need to do but you can find the full recipe below for detailed instructions.

ONE: Roast the tomatoes and garlic with olive oil, chilli flakes, some salt, and some pepper. Roast at 200C for 10 minutes, then turn down the temp to 160C and cook for a further 20 minutes.

TWO: Meanwhile, boil the orzo in salted water until soft (about 10 mins) and drain. Once cooked, break up the tomatoes and garlic with the back of a spoon and

THREE: Stir in the mascarpone.

FOUR: Add a good grating of parmesan and basil.

FIVE: Pour the pasta into the sauce and stir well until smooth and creamy.

SIX: Scoop into bowls and top with more parmesan and fresh basil.

Cooking Tips

Making for more people: If scaling up for more people, multiply all ingredients by the number of people you are cooking for. It will cook well for large groups as the orzo is cooked separately and drained, so you don't need to adjust measurements of stock/water to absorb perfectly into the orzo.

Serve Immediately: To avoid mushy or claggy orzo, serve it right away when it's fresh from the pan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Recipes You Might Like

Try my Aubergine Pasta with Giant Shells, Creamy Lemon Courgette Pasta or Chicken Garlic Parmesan Pasta if you love pasta. For more orzo recipes, my Greek Pasta Salad with Orzo or Super Green Orzo with Garlic Mushrooms are delicious.

Made this recipe and loved it?

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Creamy Orzo with Tomato and Mascarpone

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This quick and easy recipe for Creamy Orzo with Tomato and Mascarpone is really simple to make. With fresh cherry tomatoes, basil and a swirl of mascarpone it's a great alternative to risotto for weeknights.

• Author: Margie
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: Serves 1
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stove Top
• Cuisine: Italian
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 150g cherry tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• a big handful of basil leaves
• 100g orzo
• 1 heaped tablespoon mascarpone
• Parmesan, to taste

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Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 200c. In a roasting dish, mix the tomatoes and garlic with olive oil, chilli flakes, some salt, and some pepper.
2. Roast at 200C for 10 minutes, then turn down the temp to 160C and cook for a further 20 minutes or so until the garlic is soft and the tomatoes burst.
3. Meanwhile, boil the orzo in salted water until soft (about 10 mins) and drain.
4. Once cooked, break up the tomatoes and garlic with the back of a spoon and stir in the mascarpone. Add a good grating of parmesan and basil.
5. Pour the pasta in to the sauce and stir well until smooth and creamy.
6. Scoop into bowls and top with more parmesan and fresh basil.

Notes

Step by step guide: scroll up for a helpful step by step guide with images.

Pasta shape: Any small pasta shape should work well here, or even larger ones for a less risotto-like texture.

Make in advance: you can make the roasting sauce in advance. Mash together and leave to cool. Transfer to a container and place in fridge. When ready to use, reheat in a saucepan with a splash of water (if needed) and then when hot, pour over the freshly cooked orzo.

Making for more than 1: If scaling up for more people, multiply all ingredients by the number of people you are cooking for. It will cook well for large groups as the orzo is cooked separately and drained, so you don't need to adjust measurements of stock/water to absorb perfectly into the orzo.

To store: Transfer to an airtight container, cool and pop in the fridge. It will keep for 3 days or so.

To reheat: Reheat in the microwave when ready to eat. If you want to reheat in a saucepan, you can do so over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen it.

To freeze: I wouldn't recommend freezing as the orzo will go mushy once defrosted.