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This simple One Pot Creamy Spinach Sun Dried Tomato Orzo Bake is about to be a new weeknight staple. Quick, easy, and so delicious! Just add creamy garlic and herb cream cheese, flavorful sun-dried tomatoes, lots of herbs, and uncooked orzo pasta to a casserole dish and you have a fast dinner made in one pot with incredible flavor!
This dish is so easy to make, with no stove top work, and it’s all hands-off time where it bakes in the oven. Just give it a stir a couple of times. It’s hearty enough for a vegetarian main dish, or serve it as a side dish with chicken, salmon, or shrimp.
This dish is a variation of the viral baked feta pasta, but with more flavor and more vegetables. I was inspired to create my own version after seeing a Boursin bake recipe. The entire recipes cooks in JUST ONE baking dish. Even the pasta! No need to wash another pot. It also reminds me a lot of my white bean sun dried tomato gnocchi
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How to make
Seriously, this has minimal prep time and a nice quick cooking time. It’s sure to become a favorite comfort food dish. You’ll find all the ingredients, measurements, and instructions in the recipe card below.
It’s as simple as this: Place the cheese in the center of the baking dish, casserole dish, or 13×9-inch pan. Place all the other ingredients except the shredded Parmesan and fresh spinach, around the cheese, and give them a light stir.
Cover and bake in the oven, stirring halfway through, until the orzo is almost cooked and the liquid is almost fully absorbed.
Then take it out of the oven, stir in the cheese and the spinach, and pop it back in the oven for a few to wilt the spinach and finish the orzo cooking.
Pro tips for this recipe
A 7-ounce jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil will give you the perfect amount of tomatoes for this recipe. Just drain off the oil, but be sure to save the oil for cooking. There will be more oil after draining than you need for the recipe. You can save it for other dishes.
Sometimes this recipe will take a bit longer to cook. If it isn’t cooked at 20 or 30 minutes, just keep cooking it until the orzo is done. The exact time isn’t as important as the pasta being cooked. Some ovens may take up to 55 minutes.
Storage & reheating
It makes a nice big pot of food. If you have leftovers, place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The orzo pasta will soak up the sauce the longer it sits in the fridge.
To reheat, simply microwave in 30 second increments until it’s the desired temperature. It can also be reheated in a pan on the stove over low heat until hot. Either method, you may wish to add a little broth, water, or milk if the liquid has been absorbed by the pasta.
I don’t recommend freezing leftovers of this dish; it will change the texture too much.
Serving suggestions
This one pot meal can be accompanied by a nice green salad with mom’s salad dressing or Italian Dressing and a slice of homemade bread.
It makes a great side dish for many main courses. Try it with Air Fryer Salmon or slow cooker beef.
Changes to the recipe
Want to add protein right to the dish? Try it with shrimp, white beans, sausage, chicken, or tofu.
Swap the cream cheese in the recipe for goat cheese, feta, or Boursin. Try different flavors of cream cheese or Boursin.
Add in different veggies. Shallot, jarred roasted red peppers, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, peas, cherry tomatoes, or any of your favorites.
If you don’t have Parmesan, feel free to use a different cheese like Asiago, Aged cheddar, Pecorino Romano, or Grana Padano.
Make it gluten free by using gluten free orzo. And, really you could use just about any small pasta shape here.
I haven’t tried it, but I bet you could swap Arborio rice for the orzo here. It might change the baking time, but this is very reminiscent of risotto, so I think it would work.
Change up the spices. Add more garlic, or use all fresh herbs. I went with dried herbs for convenience, but fresh oregano, thyme, or chives would be lovely. Add in some red pepper flakes for heat.
And, as always, if you prefer chicken broth over vegetable broth, feel free. I’m a big believer in using what your family is already familiar with. Here’s my favorite veggie broth recipe. Just know that if you use chicken broth, the dish will no longer be vegetarian.
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Recipe
One Pot Creamy Spinach Sun Dried Tomato Orzo Bake
Ingredients
- 8 ounces garlic and herb flavored cream cheese
- 2 cups uncooked orzo
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped (from a 7-ounce jar packed in oil)
- 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil from the jar
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups spinach roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
- Place the cream cheese in the center of a large casserole dish or 13×9-inch baking pan.8 ounces garlic and herb flavored cream cheese
- Add the uncooked orzo, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, sun dried tomato oil, broth, and seasonings to the dish.2 cups uncooked orzo, 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil from the jar, 4 cups vegetable broth, 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 4 garlic cloves finely chopped, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Cover and bake for about 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the orzo is almost cooked and the liquid is almost fully absorbed. Carefully remove from the oven, and stir in the shredded cheese and spinach.1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, 2 cups spinach
- Cover and return back to the oven to cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until orzo is cooked through and all liquid has been absorbed. Taste for salt and pepper, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Debi
So easy to make and so delicious! This Orzo dish is on regular rotation around here now! I hope you love it as much as we do! Debi, author, Life Currents
Adrienne Grace
I love recipes that can flex to whatever veggies or proteins I happen to have at the moment and this sounds like a perfect one for that. Thanks, Debi!