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Eggplant Pesto Orzo
30 min
Main
10 ingredients or less
Budget-friendly
Servings
Total
30 minPrep
10 minCook
20 minContains
tree nut
Swap out
soy
gluten
Free from
peanut
sesame
Ingredients
Orzo
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1 cup (180g)dry orzo pasta
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½ Tbsp (8ml)vegetable oil
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1medium onion, finely chopped
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¼ cups (65g)tomato paste
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1medium eggplant, cut into 1 cm cubes†
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1½ cups (250g)cooked cannellini beans
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¾ cups (180ml)water
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¼ cups (60ml)soy cooking cream
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¾ tspsalt
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½ tspground black pepper
Crunchy cruoton topping
-
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½ Tbsp (8ml)vegetable oil
Optional garnish
-
fresh basil
Make your own
Directions
- Cook the orzo according to the package instructions.
- Meanwhile, add the croutons, oil, and Italian seasoning mix to a small pan on medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, until golden. Set aside.
- Add the oil to a sauté pan. When hot, add the onion and cook for 5 - 7 minutes, until golden. Add splashes of water as needed to deglaze the pan.
- Add the tomato paste and pesto and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the remaining orzo ingredients. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is softened to your liking.
- When the orzo is al dente, drain it, and stir it into the pan. Taste test and add more pesto and cooking cream to taste.
- Serve with the seasoned croutons on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- †For us 1 eggplant was about 290 g.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat with a bit of water, milk, or vegetable stock to make it creamy again.
Let us know what you think
Watch it step-by-step!
Plate method
The Plate Method is a visual tool that helps us ensure our dietary needs are on track. Touch the image below to see how this recipe measures up.
Grains & Starches 29%
• dry orzo pasta
• croutons
Proteins 13%
• cooked cannellini beans
• nutritional yeast flakes
Fruits & Veggies 58%
• medium onion
• tomato paste
• medium eggplant
Calcium
No significant sources of calciumFat
• vegetable oil
• soy cooking cream
• vegetable oil
Nutrition info
Focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. For specific nutrition needs due to a medical condition, consult a dietitian or physician. While we strive to provide accurate nutritional information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. See our disclaimer for details.
Leave a comment
Very tasty dish full of delightful textures and flavours. A really generous portion too so well worth giving it a go.
I personally discovered through making this that I don’t enjoy the texture of cannellini beans so they really ruined this dish for me but that’s entirely down to my preference and not any fault of the recipe itself.
For anyone else in the same boat, I’d definitely recommend blending the beans up with some soy milk (until smooth) so that you can incorporate them into the sauce with the tomato paste and pesto. Way better option than skipping the beans altogether because they offer a great amount of fibre and protein!
The quantities are quite generous. I will say this recipe could be for 4 servings.
Delicious 🤤 I love how the eggplant continued to soften after being taken off the pan.
Lovely creamy pasta recipe, works well with green pesto too 😋 Yumm
Great recipe, I highly recommend!
Loved it! Would definitely recommend this. The croutons make this super amazing so don’t skip out on them
Again a 10/10!!!!
YES! just yes. So good!
This was my first time eating orzo! I love it :)
So simple and delicious! My boyfriend already asked if I can make it again next week!
10/10 recommend! this will be in our weekly rotation for sure :p
Due to my red pesto going bad in the fridge I used adjika instead - came out super delicious! And super easy to make! Is definitely a new favorite.