Vegetarian One-Dish Orzo Bake with Mozzarella and Lemon Recipe
This vegetarian one-dish orzo bake recipe is a simple and tasty dinner ready in 45 minutes and loaded with tomatoes, cheese, and amazing flavor! Made with orzo, fresh mozzarella, spices, and a hint of fresh lemon for a burst of freshness in each bite.
This one-pan pasta dinner is perfect for a quick meal on the table fast, and also for easy clean up after. It’s simple, inexpensive, and a great bidget-friendly meal idea the whole family will love. See our step-by-step photos below!
Want more tasty orzo recipes? Try our cranberry orzo pasta salad, our cheesy pumpkin orzo pasta, or our favorite avgolemono soup with orzo!
Sometimes you see a new way of cooking pasta and think, ‘Wow, I have to try that!’ I love the idea of sheet pan meals. Everything cooks in the oven while you have time to multitask other things. But with an easy weeknight pasta? It turns out perfectly! Make sure you have a tall enough sheet pan and you can cook pasta in the oven. No stovetop cooking required.
This sheet pan pasta came out amazing! It smelled fantastic while it was cooking (thank you roasted garlic). And looked gorgeous coming out of the oven with melted cheese. The cheese was so melty and gooey, it pulled in long strings when I tried to dish up. It actually got all over the spoon and our bowl, and I found a little cheese strand on one of the cats after dinner (sorry Onyx)!
Notes From Our Kitchen
- This one-pan orzo bake recipe is vegetarian, meatless, cheesy, hearty, and so good.
- It has a wonderful, fresh flavor from the lemon and basil, and delicious garlicky goodness in each bite.
- It’s an inexpensive dinner idea made with canned tomatoes, dried pasta, and pantry staples.
- It’s super flavorful and is a dinner the whole family will love
- Cooks of any skill level can successfully make this dish by following along with our step-by-step photos and video below.
Ingredients You’ll Need for This Orzo Bake
See our recipe card below for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.
The base of this dish is orzo pasta. I use regular orzo, or you could use another small pasta shape as well. You could use whole wheat orzo or even a gluten-free orzo pasta if desired.
The sauce is made with canned diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Each component gives a delicious flavor, along with fresh chopped garlic.
We also finish the dish with fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, so you get delicious, gooey cheesiness in each bite.
No pasta dish can be complete without basil, so if you have fresh herbs on hand, for sure add them at the end of the cooking time.
Additions and Substitutions
If you don’t have diced tomatoes, using crushed tomatoes or even canned tomato sauce would be a good substitute for this recipe.
The fresh lemon adds a ton of flavor, so I highly recommend adding the lemon slices. If you don’t have fresh lemon on hand, you could make this dish with fresh lemon juice.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large baking dish or sheet pan (make sure the sides are at least 2 inches high), toss the olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, lemon, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Step 2: Give the mix a good stir. When oven is heated, roast the tomato mix in the oven for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Take the sheet pan out of the oven, and add the orzo and boiling water. Stir well so all ingredients are well combined. Cover sheet pan with aluminum foil, and cook for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Remove the foil, and stir the orzo again, cook for an additional 5 minutes uncovered until the orzo has soaked up all the liquid.
Step 5: Preheat the broiler on high. Remove sheet pan from oven, and stir in the basil. Top with mozzarella cheese distributed evenly over the pasta. And add parmesan on top of that.
Step 6: Place sheet pan back in the oven, and broil on high for 3 to 5 minutes, being careful not to burn the cheese! Remove from oven and serve hot, adding extra parmesan cheese if desired.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe is made with orzo pasta, fresh mozzarella, canned diced tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, Italian spices and a delicious lemon balsamic tomato broth. Everything cooks in one pan so it’s super easy and delicious..
Store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to four days reheat in the oven or microwave and enjoy hot.
Yes, you can easily bake orzo pasta without boiling it first. Just be sure you have enough water or broth in the pan and the orzo will absorb the liquid while it bakes in the oven. No cooking required!
Serving Suggestions
This orzo is great on its own and is a great meal in a bowl.
You can serve this with vegan sourdough focaccia bread, which is simple to make and also can bake in the oven at the same time as the orzo.
We also love serving this orzo with a salad. Try our stuffed date salad recipe, our cranberry kale pecan salad, and our favorite warm chickpea and arugula salad.
Tips for Baking Orzo In the Oven
Make sure you have a tall enough sheet pan so it doesn’t overflow and make a mess. This isn’t a “set it and forget it” sheet pan meal. It does involve taking the dish in and out of the oven a few times to stir and add ingredients at different stages of cooking. But this easy weeknight pasta was really fun to assemble and make. It all came together pretty quickly too. I’m definitely adding this to my Easy Weeknight Meals collection.
This sheet pan pasta recipe got an A+ from me and the hubby, which is always great when I am trying a new recipe. To make vegan, just substitute a non-dairy cheese, and enjoy!
More Vegetarian One-Dish Recipes
- Sheet Pan Gnocchi Butternut Squash & Kale
- Sheet Pan Fajitas w/ Avocado Lime Crema
- BBQ Tofu Bowls
- Rosemary Focaccia Bread Recipe
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If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
One Ingredient, Five Ways has tasty no-waste recipes for cooks of all skill levels
Vegetarian One-Dish Orzo Bake with Mozzarella
Equipment
- Tall Sheet Pan that is at least 2 inches tall
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 28 ounces Diced Tomatoes
- 1 lemon sliced thin and seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 16 ounces Dry Orzo Pasta or other small pasta shape of choice
- 4 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup fresh basil julienned
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella chopped into small cubes
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese plus extra for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- On a large sheet pan (make sure the sides are at least 2 inches high), toss the olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, lemon, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. When oven is heated, add the tomato mixture to the sheet pan in an even layer. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Take the sheet pan out of the oven, and add the orzo and boiling water. Stir well so all ingredients are well combined. Cover sheet pan with aluminum foil, and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove the foil, and stir the orzo again, cook for an additional 5 minutes until the orzo has soaked up all the liquid.
- Preheat the broiler on high. Remove sheet pan from oven, and stir in the basil. Top with mozzarella cheese distributed evenly over the pasta. And add parmesan on top of that. Place sheet pan back in the oven, and broil on high for 3 to 5 minutes, being careful not to burn the cheese!
- Dish up and top your bowl with any additional parmesan cheese as desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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good recipe, thanks
Thank you!
A neat way to cook pasta, I used dried basil instead of fresh but it came out great
Great to hear ML, dried basil can definitely work! Also any other green like spinach.
Found recipe confusing. Directions state use sheet pan but picture has contents in a skillet. Flavors OK, nothing great. Labor intensive with minimal reward.
Hi Shirley, I am sorry to hear you found the recipe confusing – which step of the recipe were you questioning? And yes, you should cook the pasta in the sheetpan, the picture of the pasta is in a bowl not a skilet so I apologize if that looked misleading. Please let me know if you have any other feedback!