Red Ratatouille Orzo Risotto

Red Ratatouille Orzo Risotto

This one is genuinely special. We came up with it as part of our GRUBBY collab and it's become one of those recipes we keep coming back to because it just hits every time. It's got all the deep, jammy flavours of a proper ratatouille but cooked through orzo so you get this incredible creamy, risotto-style texture that feels really indulgent without being heavy. Roasted aubergine, courgette and pepper all melting into a rich tomato base, with the orzo soaking up every bit of that flavour. Make this tonight, seriously.

Cook: 35 min
Serves 2

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Large baking tray lined with parchment paper
  • Large pan
  • Roast vegetables for 30 minutes while preparing other ingredients

Ingredients

  • 1 small aubergine
  • 1 small courgette
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 vegetable stock cube - to make 300ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 50g sun-dried tomato pesto
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 120g orzo
  • 200ml coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp brown rice miso paste
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • olive oil for drizzling
  • olive oil for frying
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 1 handful of fresh basil leaves to serve

Method

1

Cook the vegetables

  • Trim the aubergine, courgette and pepper and cut them into small chunks
  • Put them all on the lined baking tray, drizzle over olive oil and season with salt and pepper
  • Put the tray in the oven and roast for 30 minutes
2

Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the ingredients

  • Peel and finely chop the red onion and garlic
  • Dissolve the stock cube with 300ml boiling water to create your vegetable stock
3

Cook the orzo

  • Warm some oil in the a pan over a medium heat
  • Add the chopped red onion to the pan and cook until soft and translucent, about 5-10 minutes
  • Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute
  • Add the rosemary, thyme, sun-dried tomato paste and tomato purée and give everything a stir
  • Add the orzo and boiling stock, mix well and cook for 6-10 minutes, or until the stock has been absorbed by the orzo and the pasta feels cooked
4

Mix through the rest of the ingredients

  • Once the orzo is cooked, mix through the coconut milk, miso paste, balsamic vinegar and the roasted vegetables
5

Time to serve

  • Top the dish with the seeds, some fresh basil and salt and pepper to taste before serving

Tips & Variations

  • Don't rush the roasting: We know 30 minutes feels like a long time when you're hungry, but pulling the veg out early means you miss all that caramelisation. Trust us on this one, it's worth the wait.
  • Stir it like a risotto: Once the orzo goes in, keep stirring and adding the stock gradually rather than all at once. That's what builds the creamy texture. Think of it like a risotto, not a pasta bake.
  • Make it your own: This works brilliantly with whatever Mediterranean veg you've got hanging around. Red onion, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, even some spinach stirred through at the end. It's a very forgiving recipe.

Why This Works

The trick is roasting the veg first before it goes anywhere near the orzo. That time in the oven concentrates all the flavour and gets you those slightly caramelised edges that make everything taste way more complex than the ingredient list suggests. Then cooking the orzo in the sauce rather than separately is what gives you that creamy, risotto-like consistency. It's a proper technique swap that makes a huge difference.