Tomato Orzo with Gochujang
This tomato orzo is a quick, easy, 30-minute meal that combines a classic pasta dish with everyone’s favorite Korean red pepper paste, gochujang. The chunky tomato sauce, spicy gochujang, and fried garlic garnish steal the show to make this orzo pasta absolutely irresistible.
Servings: 5 servings
Equipment
- small pot
- braiser or pan 5 qts
- immersion blender optional
- high speed blender optional
Ingredients
- 8 oz orzo gluten free, if desired
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots finely minced
- 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste double concentrated
- 2-3 tbsp gochujang
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes 16oz
- 1/2 tsp salt more, to taste
Fried Garlic Garnish (optional)
- 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- neutral oil to cover
Instructions
Make the Gochujang Tomato Sauce
- In a pan over medium heat, add olive oil. Once hot, add shallots and salt and sauté for about a minute, stirring constantly. Avoid browning the shallots, you just want them to cook down until they're tender. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add tomato paste and gochujang and cook down until the colour darkens, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
- Add the tomatoes into the pan and lower the heat a little bit. Toss to coat in the oil and tomato paste mixture, then cover with a lid to help steam. Every few minutes, uncover to stir. Cook down until the tomatoes soften enough that you can squish them with the spatula to burst them.
- Once tomatoes are burst, cook for about 3-4 more minutes and season with salt to taste.
- If desired, you can blend the sauce using a high speed blender or immersion blender. If you're happy with the desired texture, set aside.
Add the Orzo
- Prepare orzo according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and reserve some of the cooking water.
- Immediately add the cooked orzo to the sauce pan with a splash of cooking water, and over low heat, stir to combine, folding the sauce into the orzo. Serve with fried garlic to garnish, if desired.
Prep Fried Garlic*
- Add sliced garlic to a small, cold pot and add just enough neutral oil to cover the garlic. Place the pot over medium heat and let it gradually come to a sizzle. Once sizzling, let cook for about 2 minutes, stirring gently with a spatula.
- Once the edges are lightly golden brown, pull the garlic from the heat using a slotted spoon to remove from the oil. They will continue to cook for a few minutes after being removed from the oil. Set out on a paper towel to capture excess oil, season with a pinch of salt and let cool.
Notes
Expert Tips
- If you are adding the fried garlic topping, be sure to prep the garlic beforehand. The orzo is best enjoyed right after cooking, so you don't want to let it sit in the sauce for too long.
- The sauce can be enjoyed a little chunkier, or you can blend it to make it velvety smooth.
Serving Tips
- I recommend serving this spicy tomato orzo with my lemon + herb-crusted tofu or other protein of your choice.
Storage Tips
- Tomato orzo is best served immediately after cooking. For this reason, I don’t recommend storing leftovers.