Überbackene Risoni mit Gemüse (baked risoni with vegetables)
Rice-shaped risoni pasta cooked short of tender in broth, then finished in the oven under cheese where it keeps absorbing liquid and firms up, rather than boiled fully soft first and merely browned on top. Undercooking the pasta on the stove is the one non-negotiable step, otherwise it turns to paste by the time the cheese has coloured.
Prep20 min
Cook40 min
Rest5 min
Servings4
Christoph's baked risoni with vegetables, the pasta deliberately undercooked on the stove so it finishes in the oven instead of turning to paste.
Ingredients
Written for a 2.5 L dish
Units
Temperature
Servings
Risoni and vegetables
- 300 g risoni or orzo pasta rounded
- 200 g zucchini, diced rounded
- 200 g red bell pepper, diced rounded
- 150 g onion, finely chopped rounded
- 30 ml olive oil rounded
- 400 g chopped tomatoes rounded
- 500 ml vegetable broth rounded
- 5 g dried oregano rounded
- 150 g shredded cheese, such as Gouda or mozzarella rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
- to taste freshly ground black pepper rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan).
- Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof pan or pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 4 minutes until soft. Add the zucchini and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, broth and oregano. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the risoni.
- Simmer for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is still noticeably firm, well short of tender. Season with salt and pepper.
- Scatter the cheese evenly over the top. Transfer to the oven (or the same pan, if ovenproof) and bake for 20 minutes, until the pasta has fully absorbed the liquid and the cheese is melted and golden.
- Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Undercook the risoni on the stove, deliberately. It keeps cooking in the oven as it absorbs the remaining liquid; pasta that’s already tender before baking turns to paste by the time the cheese has browned.
- Use an ovenproof pan if you have one, to go straight from stovetop to oven without transferring and losing heat or dirtying another dish.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes after baking. The sauce is very loose straight out of the oven and firms up as it sits, making it easier to serve in neat portions.
- Leftovers reheat well with a splash of broth or water to loosen the sauce, which continues to thicken in the fridge.
Ingredient substitutions
- Risoni or orzo can be swapped for any small pasta shape that cooks in a similar time.
- Zucchini and pepper can be any vegetables that hold their shape through a short bake.
- A layer of sliced tomato under the cheese before baking adds extra colour and moisture.
From Christoph Mayer