Tuna Orzo Bake
Tuna Orzo Bake
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or cooking oil
- 1 medium yellow or red onion
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bell pepper (any color)
- 1/2 cup pimento green olives
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 large pinch saffron
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 can diced tomato
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 15oz can chunk light tuna
- 3/4 cup dried orzo
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Set out a medium, oven-safe casserole dish and preheat over to 425F. I used a round casserole dish that was 10" diameter (across) and 1.5" high for a perfect fit.
- Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the orzo. Heat a pan over medium-low heat with the olive oil. Dice onion and saute until almost translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Finely dice garlic and add to the pan. Cook until the raw garlic smell is gone, about 3-4 minutes.
- While cooking onion and garlic, drain and dice olives and dice your bell pepper. Add olives, capers, bell pepper, oregano, smoked paprika, tomato paste, can diced tomato, and large pinch of saffron. Crush the saffron between your fingers further while adding to the pan.
- Wait to add orzo to your boiling water until now when there are only a couple prep steps left to do while it par-cooks. Make sure your cooking water is well salted, and add your orzo to cook for half the time quoted on the package.
- While the orzo is cooking, chop your parsley and add the the pan of vegetables along with the 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Taste and add more salt if you prefer. Open your can of tuna, drain, and mix in while leaving some of the tuna in small bite-sized pieces.
- Drain the orzo and add to the bottom of the casserole dish. Layer the vegetable and tuna mixture over top, smooth and pack down. You want the juices of the vegetables to cover and finish cooking the orzo! Sprinkle the parmesan in an even layer over the top. Place in oven for 12-15 minutes, or until brown and delicious. Serve with your favorite salad on the side.
Canned tuna...and orzo? This may not strike you as a common combination but is this is one of those happy accident dishes. Born of seeing a teaser of a post by chef Yotam Ottolenghi. We knew it looked good, but had no idea when the recipe would be available! Impatience won out and I decided to test my creativity while knowing I may be creating a flop.
I have zero regrets. I certainly want to try Yotam's published version, but I have already made this a second time in six weeks since seeing that first Instagram post and will keep this in our rotation for a looong time. Vaguely Mediterranean and Spanish flavors meet Tuna Casserole to come up with my new take on canned tuna in an entree.
Speaking of canned tuna, please read your label. I regret not buying a known sustainable brand of canned tuna, and only just read that my store's brand is not sustainable. Additionally, chunk lite is lower in mercury (often packed from smaller, younger fish...younger fish = less mercury build up in this ocean predator). If you need to avoid mercury, I bet canned salmon would be just as tasty and I will probably try making this recipe with salmon myself at some point.
1. Set out a medium, oven-safe casserole dish and preheat over to 425F. I used a round casserole dish that was 10" diameter (across) and 1.5" high for a perfect fit.
2. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the orzo. Heat a pan over medium-low heat with the olive oil. Dice onion and saute until almost translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Finely dice garlic and add to the pan. Cook until the raw garlic smell is gone, about 3-4 minutes.
3. While cooking onion and garlic, drain and dice olives and dice your bell pepper. Add olives, capers, bell pepper, oregano, smoked paprika, tomato paste, can diced tomato, and large pinch of saffron. Crush the saffron between your fingers further while adding to the pan.
4. Wait to add orzo to your boiling water until now when there are only a couple prep steps left to do while it par-cooks. Make sure your cooking water is well salted, and add your orzo to cook for half the time quoted on the package.
5. While the orzo is cooking, chop your parsley and add the the pan of vegetables along with the 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Taste and add more salt if you prefer. Open your can of tuna, drain, and mix in while leaving some of the tuna in small bite-sized pieces.
6. Drain the orzo and add to the bottom of the casserole dish. Layer the vegetable and tuna mixture over top, smooth and pack down. You want the juices of the vegetables to cover and finish cooking the orzo! Sprinkle the parmesan in an even layer over the top. Place in oven for 12-15 minutes, or until brown and delicious. Serve with your favorite salad on the side.
