Easy Vegan Orzo Pasta (With Cherry Tomatoes And Butter Beans)
The vegan orzo pasta is made with blistered cherry tomatoes and butter beans, creating a fresh and juicy dish. Cooking the orzo in vegetable broth adds richness, which is enhanced further with nutritional yeast. The outcome is a pasta dish with a delightful complexity in taste and texture, appealing even to non-vegans.
This delicious creamy vegan orzo pasta with cherry tomatoes and butter beans is a simple, quick-to-make, hearty, filling, and comforting dish. This recipe transforms simple ingredients into an incredible dish.
We make the creamy sauce by cooking the orzo pasta in vegetable stock, to which we add cherry tomatoes at the end. We also season it with nutritional yeast which gives it lovely a cheesy flavor. The sweet and sour cherry tomatoes, earthy and creamy butter beans, and umami-rich nutritional yeast give it a complex flavor that can also be appreciated by those not following a vegan diet.
With minimal multi-tasking, this incredibly delicious and satisfying pasta only takes 30 minutes to make. It is perfect for a healthy, simple, and quick weeknight meal.
If you love quick vegan pasta recipes, also see our Quick High protein vegan pasta (15 minutes), Vegan Cacio E Pepe, and Quick High protein vegan pasta (15 minutes).
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this Vegan Orzo Pasta
- Light & juicy – The orzo absorbs the rich vegetable broth. At the same time, the blistered cherry tomatoes release their sweet and tangy juices with every bite, creating a delicate but deeply flavorful sauce.
- A perfect balance of textures – Tender orzo, creamy butter beans, and juicy, blistered cherry tomatoes make every bite a satisfying play of different textures.
- Layered with flavor – Deglazing the shallot with a splash of white wine deepens the dish’s complexity, while simmering the orzo in vegetable broth infuses every bite with savory goodness. Finally, nutritional yeast adds a deliciously cheesy richness, tying all the flavors together beautifully.
- Quick & easy – Made with simple ingredients, this vegan orzo pasta comes together effortlessly in 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights or a cozy weekend meal.
- Enhanced with fiber and proteins – Juicy cherry tomatoes provide a boost of fiber, while creamy butter beans add both fiber and plant-based protein, making this pasta nourishing and satisfying. If you love butter beans, like us, you might want to try more of our butter beans recipes Curried Butter Beans (Vegan), or Vegan Aubergine Schnitzel.
What are blistered tomatoes
Blistered cherry tomatoes are a fantastic way of adding more delicious flavor and texture to dishes. Blistering tomatoes means cooking them quickly in hot oil until their skins develop small blisters. This cooking method concentrates their sweet and slightly tangy flavor. The skin becomes slightly harder, adding a delightful texture contrast to the juicy interior.
They’re often used as a topping for pasta, polenta, salads, toasts, or as a side dish. Blistered tomatoes can also be blended to create a rich pasta sauce. Often some of the tomatoes are left on the vines, which gives them and the final plating a rustic feel.
Ingredients list
- Orzo pasta – Is small pasta that’s cut in the shape of short-grain rice. It’s made from durum wheat, semolina flour, and water.
- Cherry tomatoes – Are small tomatoes in various sizes, ranging from grape to golf-sized balls. For a more colorful and flavourful plate, mix up different shapes (cherry, grape, and pear tomatoes), colors (red, orange, and yellow) of tomatoes.
- Butter beans – Also known as lima beans, are creamy legumes with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. They have a smooth and buttery texture. They’re often used in soups, stews, and salads, and we love them in pasta for extra texture and protein.
- White wine – Is used for deglazing the shallot, which is a simple technique for transforming basic ingredients into a flavourful foundation. Any dry white wine is fine. It does not have to be fancy, since some of it’s flavour will get lost in the cooking process. The orzo gets plenty of flavour by being cooked in vegetable broth, you can skip this step if you wish.
- Shallot – Is smaller and milder than a regular onion, with a sweeter, less sharp and more delicate flavor. If you do not have it at hand, you can replace it with one-quarter of a red or regular onion.
- Nutritional yeast – This is a deactivated yeast that is rich in nutrients. Its cheesy flavor makes it a great substitute for cheese in vegan cuisine.
- Vegetable broth – Is a vegetable extract that is perfect for soups, stews, and risotto. It will add a rich flavour to the pasta.
- Sea salt – Is needed for seasoning the tomatoes and the pasta.
- Extra virgin olive oil – Is used for sautéing the shallot, and for blistering the tomatoes. Any leftover oil can be drizzled on top of the assembled dish, for extra creaminess.
- Basil leaves – Make a fantastic garnish and add freshness to this vegan orzo pasta.
- Water – For cooking the orzo pasta.
Ingredient replacement
- Cherry tomato substitutes: Try using sun-dried tomatoes for a deeper and sweeter flavor. Alternatively, sautéed red pepper could also work.
- Butter beans substitutes: Cannellini Beans add a similar creaminess and texture to the orzo pasta. Chickpeas add a firmer texture and nuttier taste.
- White wine substitute: Two tablespoons of lemon juice will brighten up the dish.
- Shallot substitute: Red onion has a similar mild sharpness and sweetness as a shallot.
Step-by-step process to make Vegan Orzo Pasta
Blistered cherry tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius (400 Fahrenheit).
- Place 150 grams of cherry tomatoes in a small tray. For a more rustic look on the final dish, leave some of the tomatoes on their vines.
- Pour a tablespoon of oil over the tomatoes, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
Orzo pasta
- Thinly slice a shallot.
- Add a table spoon of olive oil in a large pan and heat it on medium-high heat.
- Add the sliced shallot to the pan and pan-fry for about 4 minutes. Mix continuously to prevent it from burning. The shallot is done when it has gone transparent and the edges have reached golden edges.
- Pour the white wine into the pan with shallot, mix, and cook until the wine has evaporated. This is called deglazing.
- Add the orzo pasta and toast the dry orzo with the onion and a little olive oil before adding the stock to bring out a nutty depth of flavor.
- Add the water, salt, and stock cube to the pan with the shallot.
- Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes to ensure even absorption of the stock without burning the bottom. Stir the orzo occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pan or clumping together. Cooking pasta this way will make it creamy.
- The amount of stock needed will vary depending on your pan’s heat retention and stove settings. Keep an eye on the liquid level—if most of it has evaporated and the orzo is still undercooked, add a few tablespoons of water as needed to finish cooking.
- Add half of the blistered cherry tomatoes, butter beans, and nutritional yeast. Stir occasionally and cook the pasta for the remaining few minutes (3 – 5).
Assembly
- Plate the orzo pasta, add the remaining blistered cherry tomatoes on top, and sprinkle with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil from the tomato baking tray.
- Finally, add a few basil leaves on top for a kick of freshness.
Recipe video for Vegan Orzo Pasta
Storage information
Store vegan orzo pasta in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water or broth to loosen up the pasta.
Orzo pasta can become mushy when frozen, so we don’t recommend doing it. If needed, it can be frozen in an airtight container for up to a month.
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Easy Vegan Orzo Pasta (with cherry tomatoes and butter beans)
Equipment
- 1 Large pan
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Serving spoon
- 1 Cutting knife
Ingredients
Orzo pasta
- 80 grams orzo pasta
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- 1 shallot
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 120 grams butter beans (cooked, or canned)
- 1/2 cube vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 5 leaves basil (optional for garnishing)
- 300 grams water
Blistered cherry tomatoes
- 150 grams cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Blistered cherry tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius (400 Fahrenheit).
- Place 150 grams cherry tomatoes in a small tray. For a more rustic look on the final dish, leave some of the tomatoes on their vines.
- Pour a 1 tablespoon olive oil over the tomatoes, and sprinkle with a 1 pinch salt.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
Orzo pasta
- Thinly slice 1 shallot.
- Add a 1 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan and heat it on medium-high heat.
- Add the sliced shallot to the pan and pan-fry for about 4 minutes. Mix continuously to prevent it from burning. The shallot is done, when it has gone transparent and the edges have reached golden edges.
- Pour 2 tablespoons white wine into the pan with shallot, mix, and cook until the wine has evaporated. This is called deglazing.
- Add 80 grams of orzo pasta and cook the dry orzo with the onion and a little olive oil before adding the stock to bring out a nutty depth of flavor.
- Add 300 grams water, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/2 cube vegetable broth to the pan with the shallot.
- Cook orzo pasta over medium heat for about 10 minute, stirring occasionally.
- Add half of the blistered cherry tomatoes, 120 grams butter beans , and 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast . Stir occasionally and cook the pasta for the remaining few minutes (3 – 5). It's fine to break the tomatoes, as you still have half of them full.
Assembly
- Plate the orzo pasta, add the remaining blistered cherry tomatoes on top, and sprinkle with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
- Finally, add a few basil leaves on top of the dish.
Notes
- You can blister cherry tomatoes in an air fryer. Place them in an oven-safe dish and air fry at 160°C (320°F) for 10–15 minutes. They’re ready when the skins develop small cracks but still hold their shape—avoid overcooking to prevent them from bursting.
- Toast the dry orzo with the onion and a little olive oil before adding the stock to bring out a nutty depth of flavor.
- The amount of stock needed will vary depending on your pan’s heat retention and stove settings. Keep an eye on the liquid level—if most of it has evaporated and the orzo is still undercooked, add a few tablespoons of water as needed to finish cooking.
- Stir the orzo occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pan or clumping together.
- Cook over medium heat to ensure even absorption of the stock without burning the bottom.
Nutrition
1. Is orzo pasta gluten-free?
No. Orzo is traditionally made of semolina flour, which contains gluten. However, gluten-free orzo might be found in larger supermarkets or speciality shops. Read more about Orzo and it’s uses here.
2. What can I use instead of white wine in orzo pasta dish?
You can substitute white wine with lemon juice.
3. How to store orzo pasta?
Store vegan orzo pasta in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water or broth to loosen up the pasta. Orzo pasta can become mushy when frozen, so we don’t recommend doing it. If needed, it can be frozen in an airtight container for up to a month.
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