30 Minute Squash and Orzo Risotto Traybake

I love a easy cooking and traybake meals are just that. This 30 minute squash and orzo risotto traybake takes all the work out of making supper. Leaving you to have a glass of wine, chat to the cat. Do anything but slave away cooking!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Risotto is normally a rice and stove top dish but this orzo pasta version cooks in the oven after a quick bit of prep on the hob.
• Rich and creamy it has all the comfort of traditional risotto.
• This is such a versatile traybake. Simply use whatever ingredients you have in the fridge.

Supper doesn’t come much easier, or tastier than this dish. And just look at those bright zingy colours. You just know this is going to taste great before you even put your fork into that meltingly soft butternut squash and pick up the plump juicy orzo pasta.

Traybake cooking

This kind of shove it on a tray and pop it in the oven sort of cooking is perfect for weekday meals. Let’s face it who really wants to be using three different pans, lots of utensils and then have to clean the damn things afterwards.

Okay for those with a dishwasher I guess. But since I am the dishwasher in this house traybake cooking is perfect for me.

Orzo risotto?

Yes, using orzo, the little rice shaped pasta (very, very popular in Greece) is perfect when you want a risotto but don’t have the right rice. With orzo you get the lovely chew of pasta and it soaks up juices and sauces beautifully. I use orzo in all sorts f recipes. You can buy it in any of the big supermarkets.

Risotto in the oven?

Yes, you can cook a rice or orzo risotto in the oven traybake style. You just have to make sure you have enough liquid in there for the rice or orzo to soak up and plump out. Saves any standing about beside the cooker.

Go off and do something more interesting and congratulate yourself on how easy this traybake is to make.

Ingredients for this orzo risotto traybake

I’m using good old butternut squash here. As I said before, I love the softness of squash when it’s cooked. There is a richness, a creaminess to it that really speaks of comfort food. I’ve added apple and sage here. I do love this combo. Think of a great Christmas stuffing mix, they always have apple and sage together. They are a couple, bit like peas and carrots or bangers and mash.

My other ingredients are a bit of chorizo sausage. Because I love the taste and the oils this sausage produces as it cooks down. Chorizo is a great way of adding flavour to any dish. A little goes a long way so it’s economical too. Of course if you want a vegetarian traybake then simple skip the chorizo and you are good to go.

There is onion too. Well there is usually onion in any savoury dish. I wouldn’t be without a good store of onions lurking under the sink ready for culinary action.

FETA

Oh yes, let’s not forget the feta cheese. All those years in Greece have left me with a passion for the salty tang of a good feta. It’s a cheese I always have in the fridge. You can throw it in your Greek Salad (obviously), fry it, sprinkle it over all sorts of pasta dishes, stuff it into potatoes and generally have it with almost anything. I do.

You will also need some vegetable stock and maybe even a glass of wine. That’s for the risotto part. Okay have another glass of wine for you to enjoy whilst this simple traybake bubbles away in the oven.

30 minutes?

Yes, this super easy squash and orzo risotto traybake just takes half an hour in the oven. How easy is that? All you have to do before it hits the oven for it’s 30 minute blast is chop that butternut squash and apple, slice the chorizo and crumble the feta. Sorted!

The low down on this squash and orzo risotto traybake

This recipe serves 4. Obviously you can up the ingredients to serve more people. It will keep in the fridge if covered for a couple of days. Yes, you can freeze it in sealed contained for up to 3 months. Remembering to defrost thoroughly before reheating (add a little extra water) till piping hot.

Looking for more quick and easy midweek meals to try? Then check these out before you go;

Pumpkin pesto pasta bake (+Video!)

Quick roast chicken traybake with lemon and chickpeas(+Video!)

Quick gammon and orzo pasta traybake

Super easy lazy midweek lasagne

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.