This super spring inspired vegan Tuscan orzo is a dump and bake recipe! Meaning you literally just dump everything into a casserole dish, bake and enjoy. It is lemony, cheesy, and so dang good. Perfect as a spring holiday side dish, a quick weeknight meal or an easy side you can serve with your favorite protein. This orzo has sun-dried tomatoes, olives and spinach. You’ll be just as pleased with this pasta bake as I am!
What You Need For This Vegan Dump and Bake Meal:
- Olive Oil: This is drizzled into the baking dish first.
- Onions and Garlic: Finely chopped.
- Orzo Pasta: Most store bought brands are already vegan!
- Sun-dried Tomatoes, Olives, Spinach: These are added into the orzo bake.
- Lemon Juice and Water: These are poured into the baking dish and everything is stirred together.
- Vegan Parmesan: I used Violife vegan Parmesan.
Is there anything better than a meal you just dump into one dish and throw in the oven? I’ll wait. Seriously, this dump and bake vegan Tuscan orzo is so good, so flavorful. With literally no effort at all. The merging of the lemon, vegan Parmesan, red pepper flakes, veggies. That extra drizzle of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes over the spinach is incredible! Serving this orzo with some crispy tofu is the best thing ever. However, just eating a big, cheesy bowl of it all on its own is perfect.
Why Should You Make This One Dish Pasta?
- It takes 5 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to make!
- The flavor of this orzo is one of the best things ever.
- This recipe makes the perfect spring meal or side dish.
- Any meal that simply requires you to dump everything into one dish is incredible.
- Easy to prep ahead and delicious once reheated.
Dump and Bake Vegan Tuscan Orzo
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 4 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 a Sweet or red onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Pinch of Red pepper flakes
- 12 Ounces Orzo pasta, vegan
- 8 Ounces Sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 Cup Olives, I used a Greek variety, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice
- 2 1/2 Cups Water
- 3 Cups Fresh baby spinach
- 1 Tablespoon Oil from the sun-dried tomatoes(optional)
- 1 Cup Vegan Parmesan, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees(F).
- In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, drizzle the olive oil into the bottom of the dish.
- Add in the garlic, onions, salt and red pepper. Stir to combine everything, straight in the baking dish.
- Add in the orzo, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, lemon juice and then pour in the water. Stir to combine everything. Then press everything down into the baking dish and smooth out.
- Put the spinach over the top of everything, then drizzle the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes over the spinach.
- Bake for 15 minutes, take the baking dish out of the oven.
- Stir everything together so the spinach is now combined with everything. The orzo will be starting to cook, but there will still be liquid.
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the vegan Parmesan over everything and then stir to combine again. Smooth everything back out and press it down into the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining vegan Parmesan over the top evenly.
- Bake for 12 to 15 more minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the orzo is tender.
- Serve immediately by its self or your favorite protein.
Video
Nutrition
This looks great, I can’t wait to try it! If I wanted to add tofu to this dish, what would be the best way? Sauté it in the pan with the garlic and onions or add it with the sundried tomatoes and orzo? Thanks!
Yes! I think that would work out great!
I made this last night and it was freakin amazing!
This was so good. I used a veggie broth instead of water. I think next time we’ll also add artichokes. Definitely try this one.
Delicious and easy.
This was amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
What would go well instead of olives. Not a fan.
You could use artichokes if you like artichokes!
Super easy and very yummy. I added juice from the jar of olive. Nice!
This is a keeper! We loved it!
Just made this for lunch. It was great! I made a few changes based on what I had on hand – I used kale instead of spinach, vegan Mexican cheese shreds instead of Parmesan, and added some cooked pinto beans. I used a full box of orzo, which was 16 Oz instead of 12 Oz. I added more water to compensate. I may have added too much water or gotten the wrong kind of orzo, but it took about 20 minutes longer than the recipe calls for to fully cook the pasta and absorb the water. Worth the extra wait though! Thanks for the inspiration.
Ok maybe it’s a silly question but do I cook the orzo before hand?
TIA
You do not! Just put everything in the baking dish uncooked.
I have made this twice in the last couple of weeks because we love it! The first time I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious. The second time I was craving it but didn’t have fresh spinach so I used frozen spinach and added frozen butternut squash because I had some on hand and 2 cans of great northern beans as well. It was delicious this way as well. I still haven’t tried using the vegan paremesan because I forgot to buy it so I used fiesta shreds and the 2nd time I sliced vegan babybell cheese rounds in half and put those on top. So good! One of our new favorites that we will make often. Thanks for sharing!
So easy and flavorful. I used a bit of chicken-less boullion for water. Made in countertop oven and was so great to be able to throw together during a kitchen reno and host a dinner with friends with this fabulous entree. Served with a carrot/quinoa salad – beautiful plate!
Love this recipe! I’ve made it 4 times now, and it’s always a hit with guests. Add about 7 minutes in the oven at the end if you’re doubling it. My favourite simple protein to add is a can of lima beans (butter beans), I think they blend in very well and up the nutritional value with the added iron and protein. Delicious, and better the next day! Can also be eaten cold.
I made this tonight and it was SO good! I made this oil free by just adding a tad more water, sun dried tomatoes not in oil, and homemade vegan parmesan with cashews and nutritional yeast. It was SOOO good! Will definitely try with artichokes next time. This is definitely going into my rotation!
I’ve made this several times now. It’s excellent as is or with a few tweaks I have practiced with. First thing is it definitely takes a little longer cooking time then it is listed or the orzo can still be a little crunchy in the center. Especially if you use a whole wheat orzo. Either way I add about 1/2 cup more water than it recommends, I also added chopped artichokes both in an oil or packed in water, depending on how rich you want the orzo. Also, this recipe doesn’t really call for any herbs but I add dried basil and oregano for more flavor. Requires a little more salt and pepper.. I’ve made it with both vegan Parmesan and shredded vegan mozzarella or cheddar for more of a cheesy bake and I definitely like it better with a Shredded Melty cheese, such as violife mozzerella or similar. Only thing is about this dish is it can be a little dried out once it’s been sitting since there’s really no sauce because all the water absorbs. You can fix this by drizzling olive oil on it once it’s served on the plate or particularly for leftovers after reheating. I’ve also tried drizzling marinara sauce, zigzag over the top when it comes out of the oven. I’ve also tried adding a half a cup of marinara sauce to the liquid when cooking for more flavor and sauciness, which also works great. Play with it, have fun, and make it your own. Absolutely delicious.
Seriously, how dare you introduce me to something so damn addictive?!
It’s an absolute cinch to make and it’s so good – there weren’t even any leftovers because we kept going back for more. (Really upset about that).
It’s officially on my rotation of dinner dishes, as well as fuss-free lunch ideas when guests come over. No one could complain about it being vegan or missing anything because it’s banging with flavour and complexity.
On one trip back for (seconds, thirds?) I added a little coconut cream I had open to the bowl and gave it a stir and it created an amazing creamy tomatoey sauce – also so amazing. Just an FYI for anyone that has said it’s a bit dry the next day.
Thank you for such a great recipe!
This is so delicious!! I’ve made it twice now.
First time I added artichokes and vegan feta. It was delicious but quite rich.
Second time I added artichokes, capers, butter beans, and a few whole tinned tomatoes that I crushed. I added nutritional yeast on top after I stirred it for the last part in the oven. Yum, yum, yum!
You could play around with it easily adding what you have on the day.
Thanks for a great, easy recipe with only one pan to wash up – my favourite :))
I found this recipe 3 weeks ago and I have now made it 3 times! So. Very. Good! And easy!
Soooo good!! And so easy to make! Was so excited to eat my leftovers!
Very tasty dish!! I used red onion and added artichoke hearts and some Tuscan seasoning. I also used gluten free orzo and adjusted the cooking times but it was still a little mushy. Next time I’ll try a different gluten free pasta and maybe sauté the onions a bit. Thanks for the great recipe.
This recipe is so easy and so delicious! I am a dump and bake convert now.
Have you used gluten free orzo and how did it go?
I have not, people have told me they have and it worked well. You may need to lower the cooking time so it doesn’t get mushy. I hope that helps!
I sautéed the red onion, garlic and red pepper first. I also used kale instead of spinach and regular cheese, since I’m not vegan. Turned out great and super flavorful without a lot of work!
Thanks for sharing!
I just made this for the first time and cut the recipe in half. I added cremini mushrooms, more garlic than called for, Misio broth instead of water and 4 oz of Follow Your Heart Vegan shredded Cheddar. So delish and saucy! I will eat as is but adding sausage for Hubs (as he is not vegan).
Do you use oil packed sun dried tomatoes from a jar or dried ones from a package?
I usually use oil packed, but either will work!
Incredible! Thank you for the recipe!
Excellent!! I added black beans to give it some protein. It was an excellent complete meal!!
Thank you