One-pan baked orzo with feta & olives

I love this super easy, one-pot orzo dish – the oregano, lemon, feta and olives really make it sing and give a nice Summery, Greek vibe which we probably all need in our lives right now in the absence of a holiday.

I know it sounds annoying and extra fancy but if you can get your hands on some good quality dried oregano, like proper wild oregano or something like this (it’s amazing), then it really does make a difference to the dried stuff you get in supermarkets. Or you could use fresh and it would sing even more.

OH BTW, where I’ve said 80-100g feta and olives, that’s really down to you. I love things super salty so I go for the full 100g of each but not everyone is as much a salt fiend as me.

One-pan baked orzo with feta & olives 

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 35-40 mins

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, grated or crushed
1 tsp dried oregano, plus extra for serving
1 lemon, zest and juice
300g orzo
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
750ml vegetable stock
80-100g pitted olives (green or Kalamata), sliced in half – see intro
80g-100g feta cheese, crumbled or roughly chopped – see intro
2 large handfuls parsley, chopped

1. Pre-heat oven to 200/180 fan.
   
2. On the hob, heat the oil in a lidded oven-proof frying pan or casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and a big pinch of salt and cook for around 7-10 mins, stirring occasionally, until soft, then add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
   
3. Sprinkle in the oregano and a good grind of black pepper then add the orzo, chopped tomatoes, stock, and the zest of half a lemon. Stir together and bring to the boil, then put the lid on and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
   
4. After 15 minutes, remove the lid, add the olives and half the feta and stir to combine, then put back in the oven without the lid and cook for a further five mins.
   
5. Remove from the oven and top with a couple more pinches of oregano, the zest from the other half of the lemon, the rest of the crumbled feta and some chopped parsley. Cut the lemon into wedges and squeeze over at the end, or serve a wedge in each bowl so people can do the lemon squeezing themselves.
   

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