Prawn & Tomato Orzo Traybake
High-protein | Source of fibre | Dairy-free
A simple one-dish orzo bake with jammy cherry tomatoes, garlic, herbs and juicy prawns. The orzo cooks directly in the stock, absorbing all the flavour as it bakes, while the almonds add crunch and a little extra fibre. It’s such a perfect low-effort dinner, and makes great leftovers too.
Tips & Tricks
Salt: Start with ½ tsp if your stock is salty, then adjust after the first baking stage. If using low-salt stock, you may need closer to ¾–1 tsp. Taste and adjust as you go (before you put the raw prawns in!)
Optional extras: Anchovies and capers would work really well in here too. The chilli is optional but adds a lovely background warmth that lifts everything. Take the seeds out if you’re worried about too much heat.
Prawns: Butterflying helps them cook quickly and evenly, and absorb all the flavours of the traybake, but you can leave them whole if preferred or if you’re short on time.
Nuts: Flaked almonds are lovely and light, but pistachios or pine nuts also work well.
Equipment.
sharp knife & chopping board
medium oven dish
Ingredients.
200g / 1 cup orzo
400ml / 1⅔ cups hot vegetable stock
350g / 2 heaped cups cherry tomatoes
½ red onion
1 large garlic clove, or 2 small cloves
One red chilli, optional
Handful black olives, pitted
165g / 6 oz raw jumbo prawns
2 tbsp flaked almonds, or chopped pistachios
Handful fresh basil
Handful fresh parsley
½–1 tsp salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle (approx. 2 tbsp)
Method.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional / 390°F.
Prep: Halve the cherry tomatoes, finely dice the red onion and garlic, roughly chop the olives & deseed and finely chop the chilli (if using)
Add the orzo, cherry tomatoes, red onion, garlic, olives, and chilli to a medium roasting dish. Pour over the hot vegetable stock and stir well.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, roughly chop the basil and parsley, and butterfly the prawns. (run a sharp knife along the back of the prawn, from top to tail, about 1mm deep just to pierce the skin and allow the prawn to open up when cooking)
Remove the dish from the oven and stir well. Check the seasoning, then add salt and black pepper as needed.
Stir through most of the herbs (reserving a few for serving) then add the prawns and the flaked almonds. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, then return to the oven for another 8 minutes, or until the prawns are pink and cooked through. If the almonds start to colour too quickly, cover with foil.
Remove from the oven, stir through the remaining herbs and adjust the seasoning if needed. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
