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A white bowl of Manestra, Greek tomato orzo, with extra Greek oregano on the side to sprinkle over.

Manestra (Greek orzo in tomato sauce) - US Cups

Robyn
Manestra, Greek orzo in tomato sauce, is a simple and delicious budget friendly family dinner that is loved by young and old alike. Packed with flavour, this is comfort food at its best.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course dinner
Cuisine Greek
Servings 4 People
Calories 438 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 2 Cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato puree / tomato paste
  • 1½ c orzo
  • 28 oz tins crushed tomatoes
  • 1½ Teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Pinch cinnamon
  • Pinch allspice
  • 6-6½ c stock
  • black pepper
  • salt if stock not too salty

Instructions
 

  • Cook the diced onion in the oil in a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the onion has softened.
  • Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Stir in the tomato puree and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the orzo / risoni, tomatoes, dried oregano, bay leaves, ground cinnamon, allspice, stock or water, black pepper and salt.
  • Stir, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer stirring regularly, for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
  • Check for seasoning, and serve straight away.

Notes

Orzo – This tiny rice like pasta shape is known as risoni here in Australia, but if you are in the UK or other countries you will know it as orzo.
Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil.
Onion and garlic – the base flavours.
Concentrated tomato paste – concentrated tomato puree. Adds a deep tomato flavour and gives the dish a rich red colour.
Tinned tomatoes – or canned tomatoes. Either chopped tomatoes or plum tomatoes crushed with the back of a spoon. You can use grated fresh tomatoes if you prefer.
Spices – ground cinnamon, allspice, and black pepper.
Stock – you can use chicken or vegetable stock / broth, homemade stock, or a stock cube dissolved in water or just water.
Bay leaves – a common Greek ingredient used to flavour sauces, soups and sauces. If you don’t have bay leaves see these bay leaf substitutes.
Dried oregano – if you can find it, dried Greek oregano is more earthy and less sweet than Mediterranean oregano.
Stir the orzo / risoni a lot during cooking. Not only will this prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan, but stirring will release some of the starch from the pasta, resulting in the sauce becoming thick and rich like risotto.
The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it stands, so it is best to serve straight away.
If you don’t want chunks of tomato in your pasta dish: either use passata or blend tomatoes – this is especially good when serving to kids if they don’t like chunks of tomatoes in the pasta.

Nutrition

Calories: 438kcalCarbohydrates: 79gProtein: 14gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 1662mgPotassium: 827mgFiber: 7gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 1207IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 106mgIron: 4mg
Keyword Greek orzo recipe, Manestra recipe, orzo in tomato sauce

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