Recipes>Beef Recipes
Meatballs with Orzo
by Nigella Lawson from At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking
Serves 4-6
Nigella Lawson’s delicious one-pot recipe for Orzo with Meatballs is a comforting and warming pasta dish perfect for wintry weekend cooking.
Discover more delicious Beef recipes
From comforting pies to Sunday roasts
From the book
At My Table
Nigella Lawson
At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking
Simple, delicious home cooking
Mouthwatering new bakes
All the recipes from the TV series
Buy From
Introduction
Orzo pasta is a non-negotiable staple in my kitchen. Simply dressed in butter and salt, and maybe a dusting of nutmeg or grated Parmesan, or indeed both, it often serves at my table as a substitute for rice or potatoes, and I regularly use it to cook what in Italian is pasta risottata, a kind of pasta risotto. It makes for wonderful, cosy one-pot dishes, of which this is a pre-eminent example.
Tags
Ingredients
| For the meatballs: | |
|---|---|
| 500g | minced beef |
| 1 | large egg, lightly beaten |
| 3 x 15ml tbsp | finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more to serve |
| 2 x 15ml tbsp | breadcrumbs |
| 4 x 15ml tbsp | finely grated parmesan, plus more to serve |
| 1½ tsp | sea salt flakes |
| 2 cloves | garlic, peeled and minced |
| For the sauce: | |
| 1 ltr | cold water |
| 2 x 15ml tbsp | regular olive oil |
| 1 (approx. 150g) | onion, peeled and finely chopped |
| 2 x 15ml tbsp | finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves |
| 2 tsp | dried oregano |
| 4 x 15ml tbsp (60ml) | Red Vermouth |
| 2 x 400g | tinned chopped tomatoes |
| 1½ tsp | sea salt flakes |
| 275g | orzo pasta |
Method
Line a large baking sheet with cling film, then put all the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl and mix together, gently, with your hands. Don’t overmix, as it will make the meatballs dense-textured and heavy.
Pinch out pieces of this mixture and roll between the palms of your hand to form meatballs that are somewhere between a cherry tomato and a walnut in size, putting them on your lined tray as you go. You should get about 30 meatballs.
Fill a measuring jug with 1 litre of cold water and put near the hob.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole or pan that comes with a lid and is large enough to take the meatballs and pasta, too. Cook the chopped onion over a medium heat, stirring every now and again, for about 10 minutes, or until completely softened, then stir in the parsley and oregano and cook, stirring for a minute or so before adding the vermouth. Let this bubble up for a minute and then tip in the tomatoes. Half-fill the empty tins with water from the jug you have at the ready, give them a good swill, and pour into the pan, along with the rest of the water and the salt. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down, clamp on the lid and leave to simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Uncover the pan and drop the meatballs gently into the simmering sauce. I try to let these fall in concentric circles, working around the pan from the outside edge inwards, but this is more habit than necessity. Bring it back up to the boil, then turn the heat down again, put the lid back on and simmer the meatballs for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, tip in the orzo, stir gently and turn up the heat to bring back to a bubble. Cook at a robust simmer for 10–15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked. You will have to give the odd gentle stir throughout this time to make sure the orzo isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Serve in shallow bowls, sprinkled with parsley, and with Parmesan on the table alongside.
Reviews
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.
Cancel reply
Your review
Name *
Our team will respond to any queries as soon as we can - this may take longer over weekends. You do not need to resubmit your comment.
Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use .
Be the first to leave a review
Ingredients
Method
More Nigella Lawson recipes
View all
Nigella Lawson’s Banana Bread
by Nigella Lawson from How To Be A Domestic Goddess
Nigella Lawson’s Brownies
by Nigella Lawson from How To Be A Domestic Goddess
More Beef Recipes
View all
Mary Berry’s Fillet Tails of Beef with Bearnaise Sauce and Rocket Salad
by Mary Berry from Mary 90: My Very Best Recipes
Mary Berry’s Braised Beef with Cauliflower and Potato Mash
by Mary Berry from Mary 90: My Very Best Recipes
More Pasta Recipes
View all
Mary Berry’s Freezer Mac and Cheese
by Mary Berry from Mary 90: My Very Best Recipes
Mary Berry’s Veggie Mushroom Lasagne
by Mary Berry from Mary 90: My Very Best Recipes
Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week
