Orzo pasta in red sauce – Kritharaki
Kritharaki is a typical dish made in Cyprus and Greece, that can be eaten on it’s own as a main meal with just a side of salad and yoghurt. Otherwise it can be the ideal side to any meat dish. It requires minimum ingredients and can be ready in no time. Kritharaki is made using pureed tomatoes, passata, or can be made using ripe grated tomatoes.
You can eat the kritharaki without resting it for too long so that it is quite saucy still or you may choose to let it rest for longer so that all the sauce is absorbed. Top it with some fetta or even mizithra to finish it off and enjoy. A meal the whole family will enjoy.
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1 cup passata
- 3 cups warm water
- 1 cup orzo/risoni pasta
- salt and pepper
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Use the olive oil and cook the onion and garlic until they soften. Pour in the passata and let it simmer for 2min.
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Then add the water and orzo pasta. Let it cook on a medium heat for 20min. Stir it frequently so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
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After the 20min take it off the heat. Season with salt and pepper and stir it well. Cover the pot with a clean towel and the lid. Allow it to stand for 10min at least. I sometimes let it on the stove for 30min if i have the time so that the sauce is absorbed.
This was SO easy and delicious. My 15 month old wiped her plate clean both nights. Thanks for sharing!
How would the time/liquids differ for whole wheat orzo?
Thank you, been looking for how to make this like my friend used to make it. Total winner and so many ways to adapt it once this is the base.
Oh yes absolutely! It’s such a good base for many other dishes 🙂
Looks yummy. Thanks for sharing
If I use tomato paste as I dont have passata shall I just add one more cup of water?
Thank you
Hi Grazia, yes that’s fine. I’d probably use 2tbs of tomato paste and 3/4 cup water instead 😊
So yummy and so easy to follow. I stirred tasty cheese through it after it was cooked. Making it again now with added veg. Thank you
Hi Ayse, yes it’s such a winning dish with added cheese. I love zucchini and mushrooms through it for a veg version 🙂 If you eat meat I have two other recipes with orzo you might like – one with beef mince and the other with slow cooked beef pieces.
One of my favorite foods! I wonder if I can do this recipe in the instant pot 😁
Hi Maria, I’m sure you should be able to although i haven’t tried it before. Would love to hear if you were successful.
Really happy to have found your blog! Fellow Cypriot here, always looking to cook traditional recipes like my grandma does. I’ve bookmarked your site 🙂
Thank you so much for your feedback! Truly appreciate it 🙂 Lots more Cypriot recipes coming. You can check out Instagram as well for some behind the scenes stories 🙂