This creamy vegan tomato orzo has the potential to become your new favorite weeknight dinner: an uncomplicated one-pan orzo recipe, on the table in about 25 minutes, and so creamy that with the first spoonful you can hardly believe there's neither cream nor oil involved.
Recipes with orzo pasta — also known as risoni — seem to be everywhere on social media right now. So of course I had to give them a go! In this vegan tomato orzo recipe, the little rice-shaped pasta cooks right in the tomato broth and soaks up tons of flavor along the way. A bit like risotto, only much faster and more relaxed.
The creaminess comes from a little trick: silken tofu, finely blended with nutritional yeast, a splash of balsamic and soaked sun-dried tomatoes. The result is velvety and full of umami — exactly the kind of creamy tomato pasta you'll want to make again and again.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- One-pot dish – Just one pan, less washing up.
- Ready in 25 minutes – Perfect for busy weeknights.
- Creamy without cream – Silken tofu gives it that silky texture while adding protein.
- Oil-free & wholesome – True to the Veggie Jam style, with no compromise on flavor.
Ingredient Notes
All the ingredients for this orzo pasta recipe are deliberately kept simple – you'll find them in any well-stocked supermarket, and you might already have everything at home:
- Orzo (risoni) – The star of the dish. I used the standard "refined" orzo, but you can also use a whole-grain type.
- Cherry tomatoes – They add natural sweetness and freshness. You can also chop up ripe vine or Roma tomatoes. Try them first, they should be quite aromatic.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – For that strong, concentrated tomato flavor. I use dry sun-dried tomatoes that aren't packed in oil, but you can also use oil-packed ones.
- Silken tofu – The secret to the creaminess. Lighter and higher in protein than nut-based cream sauces. Feel free to stir in a spoon of cashew butter at the end for more richness, though.
- Nutritional yeast – For that cheesy umami touch.
- Balsamic vinegar – Rounds out the tomato sauce and adds a gentle acidity.
- Garlic & onion – The aromatic base – please don't leave them out.
- Baby spinach (optional) – For an extra serving of greens and nutrients.
- Dried basil & oregano – Classic Italian and simply delicious.
See recipe card for quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Pour ¼ cup / 60 ml hot water over three sun-dried tomato halves (about 12 g) and set aside. (If you're using oil-packed tomatoes, you can skip this step.)
- Step 1: Finely chop the onion and garlic and sweat them in a large, deep pan with a little water for about 4 minutes until translucent. Finely chop the remaining sun-dried tomatoes and add them to the pan together with the cherry tomatoes.
- Step 2: Pour in the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Step 3: Lightly crush the tomatoes. Stir in the orzo, dried basil and oregano and simmer covered for 8–9 minutes.
- Step 4: Blend the silken tofu, nutritional yeast, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and the soaked sun-dried tomatoes together with their water until creamy.
- Step 5: Add the tomato and silken tofu cream to the pan and stir it in well.
- Step 6: Stir in the chopped basil and spinach. Simmer for another 3 minutes, season to taste and serve with vegan parmesan.
Top Tip!
If the orzo soaks up too much liquid while cooking, simply add a splash of broth or water. The dish should still be slightly saucy when served – the tomato pasta firms up quickly as it sits.
Variations
The tomato orzo is a great base recipe that you can adapt however you like:
- Extra protein – Stir in a can of white beans or chickpeas.
- Veggie upgrade – Cook zucchini, peas, bell pepper or broccoli florets along with it.
- Spicy – Add a pinch of chili flakes or fresh chili.
- Mediterranean – Top with black olives, capers and fresh herbs.
- Extra creamy – Stir in an extra tablespoon of cashew butter or tahini at the end.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, of course. You also don’t need to soak them for the silken tofu cream. When blending, you should still add ¼ cup / 50-60 ml of water.
Orzo is traditionally made from durum wheat semolina. However, you can also find gluten-free orzo-style pasta online, made for example from rice and corn. Just use the gluten-free type to make the recipe gluten-free.
Silken tofu gives the dish its wonderful light creaminess. If you’d rather not use tofu and make it soy-free you can use about 150 ml / 1 cup + 2 tablespoon of plant-based drink and 1–2 tablespoon of cashew butter instead.
More Vegan Noodle Dishes
Looking for other pasta recipes? Try these:
I hope you’ll give my creamy vegan orzo with tomatoes a try soon! If you love this recipe, be sure to leave a comment, rate the recipe and tag me on instagram (#veggiejam) with your recreation.
PrintRecipe
Creamy Vegan Tomato Orzo
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 21 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 servings 1x
Description
This creamy vegan tomato orzo has the potential to become your new favorite weeknight dinner: an uncomplicated one-pan orzo recipe, on the table in about 25 minutes, and so creamy that with the very first spoonful you can hardly believe there’s neither cream nor oil involved.
Ingredients
- 1 small onion or shallot
- 3 garlic cloves
- 200–250 g (1 ½ - 2 cups) cherry tomatoes
- 560 ml (2 ½ cups) vegetable broth
- 200 g (1 cup) orzo pasta
- 8 halves (32 g, ~¼ cup) sun-dried tomatoes (without oil)
- 200 g (7 oz) silken tofu
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 handful baby spinach, chopped (optional)
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- Fresh basil leaves for serving (optional)
- Vegan parmesan for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the sun-dried tomatoes: Pour 60 ml / ¼ cup of hot water over 3 sun-dried tomato halves (about 12 g) in a small bowl and set aside.
- Cook the aromatics: Finely chop the onion and garlic and sauté them in a large, deep pan with a little water or oil for about 4 minutes until translucent.
- Cook the tomatoes: Finely chop the remaining sun-dried tomatoes and add them to the pan together with the cherry tomatoes. Pour in the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Cook the orzo: Carefully crush the tomatoes with a spoon. Stir in the orzo, dried basil and oregano and simmer covered over medium heat for 8–9 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks.
- Blend the silken tofu cream: In the meantime, blend the silken tofu, nutritional yeast, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and the soaked sun-dried tomatoes together with their soaking water in a blender until creamy.
- Bring it all together: Add the tofu cream to the pan and stir in well. Roughly chop the fresh basil and spinach and mix them in. Simmer for another 3 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
- Serve: Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with vegan parmesan and fresh basil if you like.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 of 3 servings
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 9.5 g
- Fat: 3.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 58.2 g
- Fiber: 7.8 g
- Protein: 17 g
This post is also available in German (Deutsch).
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