Meatball, pepper & orzo bake
Prep
10 mins
Cook
30 mins
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
This is one of my favorite weeknight dinners because it comes together in just 40 minutes from start to table. I love using those convenient frozen meatballs, which saves me so much time in the kitchen. The roasted piquillo peppers add a lovely smoky sweetness that makes this feel restaurant quality, while the orzo absorbs all the savory chicken stock beautifully. Best of all, the mozzarella melts into pockets throughout the dish creating these amazing creamy bites. The fresh green beans on the side provide brilliant color and fiber, making the whole meal feel genuinely nourishing without any fuss.
Ella x
Ingredients
- 1 tbspessential olive oil(plus a splash, if needed)
- 336 gramseat flexi 12 beef, tomato and red pepper meatballs(pack 12 Eat Flexi British Beef Tomato Red Pepper Meatballs)
- 2 clove/sgarlic(crushed)
- 1 tbsptomato puree(heaped tbsp Essential Tomato Purée)
- 230 gramsfragata pimiento piquillo peppers(drained, peppers quartered)
- 250 gramsorzo
- 350 mlschicken stock(chicken or vegetable stock)
- 150 gramsessential italian mozzarella(drained and roughly torn)
- 1flat leaf parsley(roughly chopped, to serve (optional))
- 200 gramssteamed green beans(to serve)
Detail level
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Heat the oil in a large, lidded, ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs for 5 minutes, turning regularly, until browned. Lift out of the pan and set aside.
- 2
Reduce the heat to medium and add a splash more oil to the pan, if needed, then add the garlic and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato purée and fry for 1 minute more, then finally add the quartered peppers and fry, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.
- 3
Rinse the orzo well, then stir into the pan with the stock and season with salt. Return the meatballs to the pan, scatter over the mozzarella and grind over some black pepper. Cover and bake for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for a final 10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and no pink meat remains. Let stand for 5 minutes before scattering with parsley, if using, and serving with green beans.
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