Veal Orzo

Posted on by Ben | Havocinthekitchen
Veal Orzo

This Veal Orzo combines a rich and hearty Bolognese-like sauce and orzo pasta. You will need at two hours (or slightly longer) to make it, but the flavour profile is worth your time and will not disappoint you.

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Veal Orzo

Hey folks – how are you doing? Can you also believe it is almost end of January?

Also, the winter is getting stronger, at least here in Nova Scotia, Canada. And that probably also can be applied to your area (unless you live where it is summer now.)

Anyways, with cold and gloomy days, it is a perfect time to enjoy some comfort food. And what can be better than pasta? Perhaps, pasta combined with a rich meat sauce!

Veal Orzo

This Veal Orzo requires some time, but generally this is quite an effortless recipe. Most of the time, the veal ragù will be simmering for a long time, without the need to keep a close eye on it.

I used the idea and technique of Bolognese sauce to make this recipe. First, you will need to make soffritto, a staple for many Italian sauces, an aromatic combination of onions, carrots, and celery. Then you will need to stir in ground veal along with the tomatoes and herbs. Another aromatic part is dry vermouth, or alternatively you can use white or red wine, followed by broth. From this moment, you will need to let it slowly simmer – between 1 1/2 and 2 hours.

The last part would be adding uncooked orzo along with more broth or water. And it will only take for 5 minutes or so to cook it.

More Orzo Recipes

And if you like orzo, please be sure to check more ideas from this blog:

Chicken Orzo Bean Soup

One-Pot Chicken Mushroom Orzo

Spring Vegetable Orzo Risotto

I hope you like this Veal Orzo, and you will give it a try shortly. If you make it, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share your photos adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!

Veal Orzo
Veal Orzo
Veal Orzo
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Veal Orzo

Recipe by Ben | HavocinthekitchenCourse: Main
Servings

4-6

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

~2 1/2

hours

This Veal Orzo combines a rich and hearty Bolognese-like sauce and orzo pasta. You will need at two hours (or slightly longer) to make it, but the flavour profile is worth your time and will not disappoint you.

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion, finely chopped

  • 1 small carrot, finely cubed or shredded

  • 1 small celery stalk, thinly sliced

  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil

  • 1 tbsp. butter (optional)

  • about 1/2 lb. (250 gr.) ground veal

  • 1 large tomato, chopped – can substitute ~ 1/2 cup chopped tinned tomatoes

  • about 1/2 cup (120 ml.) Martini Dry Vermouth

  • 1 tbsp. fresh thyme

  • 1-2 bay leaves

  • 1 and 1/2 cup (~350 ml.) low-sodium broth of your choice

  • 1 and 1/2 cup (~350 gr.) uncooked orzo

  • 1 and 1/2 cup (~240 to 350 ml.) – or more if necessary – of boiling water

  • salt and pepper, to taste

  • parsley, optional, for serving

Directions

  • To a large, preferably heavy-bottomed pot or even a Dutch oven, add 1 tbsp. of olive oil and butter (if using) and cook over medium-low heat the onions, carrots, and celery for about 7-10 minutes, until fragrant and soft but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
  • Increase heat to high-medium. Add the ground veal, season with a bit of salt and pepper, and cook for about 7 minutes, braking larger pieces with a spatula, until no longer pink and start browning.
  • Stir in the tomatoes, cook few minutes.
  • Add the Martini Dry Vermouth, let it simmer for a minute or so.
  • Decrease heat to low. Add the broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover and let it simmer for between 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes or so, until the veal is nice and soft. At the end remove the bay leaves.
  • Increase heat to high. Add the orzo along with the boiling water, stir, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the orzo is cooked to al dente. You may need to add more (up to 1 cup) of boiling water if necessary, depending on how much of the liquid the ragù has at the end of stage 5. It is important to remove the pot from heat as soon as the orzo is al dente because it will continue cooking from the residual heat. If your orzo has slightly passed the al dente stage, immediately transfer the contents to a new bowl / container to start it cooling down; this should prevent from turning the orzo too soft and mushy. Try and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
  • Stir in the parsley before serving, if desired.

26 thoughts on “Veal Orzo”

  8. Eva Taylor says:

    Bolognese is the absolute perfect dish for a cold winters’ day. Fortunately, we have not had the extreme temperatures that we usually have in January, in fact, it’s been rather mild to say the least. I am not complaining. What I will complain about is the lack of sunshine but we will remedy that soon????!

    Reply
  9. Shashi says:

    Ben, I cannot believe it’s almost the end of January! I feel like it was just yesterday that this new year dawned! BTW, this is such a fantastic dish – I love orzo, to me, it’s so comforting and this dish is perfect for the cold! Hoping you are staying warm. Love these photos with your fur baby!
    Shashi recently posted…Hot Honey BroccoliMy Profile

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  10. David @ Spiced says:

    I do love a good Bolognese sauce! Winter days are just made for recipes like this. And the veal would add so much flavor. Glad to see Daisy making an appearance again – it must be too cold outside for her these days! :-)
    David @ Spiced recently posted…Shepherd’s PieMy Profile

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