Can I also use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes?

Yes, of course. You also don’t need to soak them for the silken tofu cream. When blending, you should still add 1/4 cup / 50-60 ml of water.

Is the recipe gluten-free?

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.

Can I replace the silken tofu?

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 tbsp of plant-based drink and 1–2 tbsp of cashew butter instead.

Creamy Vegan Tomato Orzo - Veggie Jam English

Name: Creamy Vegan Tomato Orzo
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 21 min
Total time: 26 min
Ingredients: 1 small onion or shallot; 3 garlic cloves; 200–250 g (1 1/2 - 2 cups) cherry tomatoes; 560 ml (2 1/2 cups) vegetable broth; 200 g (1 cup) orzo pasta; 8 halves (32 g, ~1/4 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)

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

Scale

1 small onion or shallot
3 garlic cloves
200–250 g (1 1/2 - 2 cups) cherry tomatoes
560 ml (2 1/2 cups) vegetable broth
200 g (1 cup) orzo pasta
8 halves (32 g, ~1/4 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)

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Instructions

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes: Pour 60 ml / 1/4 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