Risoni with mince sauce – Κριθαράκι με κιμά
One pot risoni pasta dish
Risoni with mince is a complete one pot meal enjoyed by everyone in the family. My girls can’t get enough of it! Enjoyed simply with some yoghurt and a salad, this is a comforting dish for any time of the year.
Fun fact 🙂 I usually refer to risoni/orzo as “kritharaki” but i recently heard giagia Kostoula referring to it as “manestra” as well!
It is a bit of a spin to another classic Greek dish called “γιουβέτσι” which is basically risoni with meat pieces. You can find the recipe for that here. I usually tend to cook it that way when I have left over meat so I make a new meal out of what I already have in the fridge.
I have already posted a simpler dish of just risoni in a plain tomato sauce so if you are looking for a side or a simpler main meal that is also a great option.
The recipe for the risoni and mince is very easy to put together and if you double the recipe you can easily store half of it in the freezer. I usually freeze it in portions, which makes it perfect for the kids when they are not keen on eating something you’ve cooked or simply when you can’t be bothered cooking 🙂
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 small carrots, diced finely
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 500 g beef mince
- 1 can diced tomatoes or 300g tomato passata
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 4 cups warm water (1L)
- 1 cup risoni pasta
- 10 sprigs of parsley, chopped
- grated cheese, graviera, halloumi or even crumbled feta
- 1 tsp cumin, ground
- 1 tsp rosemary, dried
- ½ tsp cinnamon, ground
- ½ tsp coriander, ground
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
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Heat the olive oil in a medium pot and sautée the onions until they soften. Then add the carrots and celery stirring briefly.
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Add the mince, breaking it up in smaller pieces while it’s frying. Once it has changed colour add the seasoning mix, stirring until it is all combined.
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Stir in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes and the warm water. Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for 25min.
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After that time add the risoni stirring frequently so that the risoni doesn’t stick to the bottom. Allow it to cook for 10-15min on low heat.
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Once the risoni is cooked, stir through the parsley and cover it to rest for 10min before serving. Enjoy warm with some grated cheese on top.
I used tomato paste in the meal and grated a salty cheese to serve it so the amount of salt added extra is minimum. You can always add more on your plate if you want to.
The spices can be changed to whatever you prefer, I just love the combination of these four.
If you like the sauce to be more runny then you may pour more water when you add the risoni.
Made this for my family including Aussie-Greek husband and Greek born mother-in-law. I’ve made a similar recipe with Italian flavours but wanted to try this for the Greek flavours. Tasty, easy to make and enjoyed by all.
First time making this (and I’m Greek!) LOVED IT such a comforting meal and so much flavour. Thank you:) x
Yayayay!! We love it too 🙂 With lots of grated cheese!
I made this dish tonight for my husband and I and absolutely loved it! Super easy to prepare and great depth of flavour. All of the ingredients are things I usually have on hand (except dried coriander), so was super convenient. Will definitely be making this one again!
Thank you so much Rachael! The addition of the spices really boosts the humble combination of pasta and mince. Glad you enjoyed it!
Dinner was a big hit tonight thanks to Eleni’s delicious risoni with mince sauce. I only had a little parsley, so popped in a bunch of mint, which was tasty. This recipe will definitely be a regular in my household! Thanks so much for sharing it!
Fantastic to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂 It is one of the most popular recipe on the site so far.