Cheese and Tomato Baked Orzo (with Lentils)

There’s something so comforting about a cheesy pasta bake, isn’t there? Bubbly, golden cheese on top, with rich, saucy pasta underneath… it doesn’t get much better. This cheese and tomato baked orzo is seriously irresistible, but with a few extra touches to make it even more hearty and wholesome.

Who said you can’t trick yourself into eating something that’s actually packed with goodness?

A spoon taking a scoop of cheese and tomato baked orzo in a dish.

I don’t often use orzo when I’m making pasta bake, but it actually works beautifully – the tiny little grains soak up so much flavour from the rich tomato sauce. It’s all smothered in plenty of gooey cheese, and I added some creamy red lentils for extra vegetarian protein.

Overall, this baked orzo is a dish that ticks all the boxes: it’s seriously easy to make, it’s super hearty, and it’s packed with flavour.

Overhead shot of cheese and tomato baked orzo in a baking dish.

⭐️ What is Orzo?

If you’re unfamiliar with orzo (my condolences), it’s essentially pasta that’s shaped like rice. You can cook orzo in various ways (check out my 3 easy ways to cook orzo!), but this time I baked it in the oven, right in the tomato sauce. Since the pieces are so small, they don’t need a huge amount of cooking, and they can be added to the dish straight from the packet.

To make sure the lentils in this dish end up soft enough, I did find they needed to be part-cooked in a saucepan (see: how to cook lentils) before adding them to the baking dish with the orzo. I tried cooking it all together in the oven, but the lentils really do need just a few minutes in a pan first, sorry!

If you can’t get orzo for whatever reason, or you’d just prefer to use rice, I also have a recipe for cheesy baked tomato rice, which is similar (but without the lentils), and just as tasty.

A portion of cheesy tomato baked orzo on a plate.

Cheesy Vegetarian Bakes ebook on an ipad screen.

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🥗 Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this cheesy baked orzo recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredients for cheese and tomato baked orzo laid out with text overlay.

orzo (or other tiny pasta shape)
red lentils – If you’d like to avoid needing to pre-cook the lentils, you could use canned green lentils instead. Green lentils don’t cook down quite as much as red, so the texture will be a little different – however, canned have the advantage of being able to cook right in the baking dish with the other uncooked ingredients.
canned tomatoes
fresh spinach
vegetable stock – I used a stock cube and water, but liquid or jelly stock will also work.
tomato paste
dried basil (or another favourite dried herb)
garlic granules
grated cheese (for topping) – I used what I had on hand, which was a 4 cheese blend containing mozzarella, cheddar, double Gloucester and red Leicester. You can use your favourite grated cheese, most things will work!
a large tomato (to slice up for the topping)

You could easily add some extra vegetables to this dish, if you want to boost the nutrition even more. Here are a few ideas of additions that would work well:

finely chopped onions (or red onions)
sliced leeks
chopped mushrooms
black olives
diced peppers
frozen peas or sweetcorn
grated carrot or zucchini (courgette)
canned chickpeas

To be honest, with a hearty bake like this, you can pretty much add whatever you like – just bear in mind that you may need to pre-cook any particularly hard vegetables in a frying pan before adding them to the dish.

💭 Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare this dish in advance?

Yes! You could easily construct the dish and then store it in the fridge, doing the final bake just before serving.

Can I freeze this orzo bake?

This bake should freeze nicely in a sealed, freezer-safe tub. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat thoroughly before serving.

How should I store any leftovers?

Leftovers should be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 3 days, and reheated thoroughly before serving. I reheat leftover pasta bake in the microwave to keep it moist.

How should I serve this orzo bake?

This cheesy orzo bake can serve as a standalone meal, but if you’d like to offer some side dishes, I’d go for something vegetable-heavy. A nice salad would work well, or some roasted Mediterranean vegetables. Some garlic bread would also be a great side for this recipe.