Cheesy Baked Orzo With Marinara

With very little extra effort, and superior results, take a few minutes to make Simple Marinara Sauce by MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN Time: 30 minutes Yield: Enough for 4 pasta servings https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016478-simple-marinara-sauce?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share INGREDIENTS 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, seeded and chopped if not already chopped, with juice 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/8 teaspoon sugar a few sprigs of fresh basil, if available Salt to taste

Loved this! I added sauteed mushrooms which went really well with the spinach and made it a bit more hearty.

As for myself, I'm a happy omnivore. But some cooks will want to be careful about the claim that this is a vegetarian recipe. Authentic Parmesan cheese contains rennet, which consists of enzymes from the stomachs of ruminant mammals such as cows. It's not meat, but it cannot be obtained from an animal without killing it. Thus, any dish that uses true Parmesan is not vegetarian. Mozzarella traditionally uses rennet, too, but I think vegetarian varieties are readily available.

Absolutely delicious fish! Make sure not to over cook the orzo, a little bite is very welcome. For none-veggies, we added a pound of Italian sausage which ended up being an amazing compliment to the flavors.

Doubled the garlic and tripled the red pepper.

Great, easy, versatile recipe. I used orecchiette (no orzo at the store), fontina (what I had on hand - and I probably used 1.5-2 cups, because I’m greedy), an extra clove of garlic, and a lot of red pepper flakes. I think the quality of marinara is important here (I used Rao’s as well). Added trumpet mushrooms per another commenter’s suggestion. Next time would use a sturdier green (kale, broccoli rabe), as the spinach was basically brown before it even went in the oven.

I loved this. REALLY loved this. It is easy, tastes great, and keeps well. If anything, it tasted even better as leftovers. I used Aldi's specially selected marinara (blasphemy to some I am sure, but it is the best marinara I have ever tasted), and Beyond Meat sausage (far better for the environment that regular sausage, and much tastier IMHO). It was fantastic. I will definitely make this again and again.

A good recipe to put into my monthly rotation. I used ditalini pasta since there was no orzo--used 2.5 (cooked) cups...this was fine. Thought it was tasty, and so did my 14yo son, who rated it above Amy's mac-n-cheese. So guess that's saying something :-)

This was a hit at game night! I already had Rao's fra diavlo sauce on hand so I used that instead of separate marinara sauce and red pepper flakes. Moreover, I doubled the garlic cuz I'm a bit of a garlic fiend. This dish was one of the quickest dishes I've ever made, and it's so delicious and versatile. You can add almost veggie you want. If you omit the cheese (or use non-dairy cheese) at the end, you can serve it to vegan friends and family.

I agree about the homemade marinara;this is perhaps the best marinara ever, ever. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015987-classic-marinara-sauce?algo=cooking_doc2vec_weight_1&fellback=false&imp_id=500017499&action=click&module=RecirculationRibbon&pgType=recipedetails&rank=8

I LOVE this recipe so much. I make it exactly as written, using Rao’s marinara.

I used kale instead of spinach, shredded fresh mozzarella from mozzarella balls, and made the marinara from scratch. The kale was much sturdier. less watery, and held up well, and the fresh mozzarella added a nice bright contrast to the dish. For serving, I reserved some of the marinara and ladled a bit more over the top and then added the chopped basil and grated parmesan.

This was absolutely delicious. I used a very small pasta instead of the orzo but it took nothing away from how good it tasted. I think the key is to use a good jarred pasta sauce and fresh basil is a must.

This is a great base recipe. I made it as printed but added some left over rotisserie chicken, kalamata olives and cherry peppers.

Not really something you need a recipe for, but seeing it gave me an excuse to indulge. Even following the suggestion to make your own marinara, it’s still weeknight doable. Can see me bringing it to the home of a new baby or recuperating friend.