Cypriot Orzo Yiouvetsi

This dish tastes best when cooked in a stoneware casserole, so if you have one available you will want to use it.

Serves: 4Hands-on: 20 minutesTotal: 1 hour 50 minutesDifficulty: Medium

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb. lean ground veal
  • 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 garlic gloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 cloves
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1½ cups orzo pasta
  • 1 tsp. butter
  • 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Heat olive oil in large sauce pan over medium heat; add veal and break up with wooden spoon. Sauté 5–8 minutes, stirring constantly, until thoroughly browned.
  • Add onion, garlic, tomato sauce, cinnamon stick, cloves, salt, and pepper to saucepan with meat. Bring to a boil, stirring well; cover and simmer 15 minutes over medium-low heat.
  • In separate pan, bring stock to boil; cover and reduce heat to low.
  • When meat has cooked, remove cinnamon stick from pan. Add uncooked orzo pasta to hot beef stock for a couple stirs; add stock to pan with meat sauce. Stir to mix thoroughly.
  • Butter sides and bottom of casserole; add yiouvetsi mixture. Bake uncovered 50–60 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed by pasta.
  • Stir well with wooden spoon only once, at about 25-minute mark (making sure to get into corners of dish); let it cook undisturbed for remainder of time. Look for surface of yiouvetsi to form a crust-like top layer, especially near edges.
  • Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with Parmesan.

Recipe Information

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb. lean ground veal
  • 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 garlic gloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 cloves
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1½ cups orzo pasta
  • 1 tsp. butter
  • 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Heat olive oil in large sauce pan over medium heat; add veal and break up with wooden spoon. Sauté 5–8 minutes, stirring constantly, until thoroughly browned.
  • Add onion, garlic, tomato sauce, cinnamon stick, cloves, salt, and pepper to saucepan with meat. Bring to a boil, stirring well; cover and simmer 15 minutes over medium-low heat.
  • In separate pan, bring stock to boil; cover and reduce heat to low.
  • When meat has cooked, remove cinnamon stick from pan. Add uncooked orzo pasta to hot beef stock for a couple stirs; add stock to pan with meat sauce. Stir to mix thoroughly.
  • Butter sides and bottom of casserole; add yiouvetsi mixture. Bake uncovered 50–60 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed by pasta.
  • Stir well with wooden spoon only once, at about 25-minute mark (making sure to get into corners of dish); let it cook undisturbed for remainder of time. Look for surface of yiouvetsi to form a crust-like top layer, especially near edges.
  • Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with Parmesan.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Information
Amount per serving
Calories550
Total Fat20g
Saturated Fat6g
Cholesterol100mg
Sodium1560mg
Total Carbohydrate54g
Dietary Fiber4g
Sugars5g
Protein34g