Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Creamy Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Risoni (orzo) Recipe
The title’s a tongue tornado, however this dish is a breeze to make! Goat cheese and roasted purple peppers are the shortcuts for this creamy, smoky risoni recipe. Beneath $20 for 4 servings, prepared in 20 minutes. Function a meal or aspect — it’s like a Mediterranean risotto!
As we speak’s recipe is a fast risoni dish that’s easy to make however a little bit bit particular due to a little bit of goat cheese stirred by way of which provides it a creamy edge. The distinctive, gentle flavour of goat cheese with a contact of tang works completely with the Mediterranean flavours right here, particularly on this oozy risotto-like risoni recipe.
It’s a type of dishes that’s quick to make – but firm worthy. Particularly in the event you hold harping on and on about how good goat’s cheese is. Wait, is that simply me?? 😂
Right here’s all that you must make this. In the event you don’t have goat’s cheese, you may substitute in a pinch with Danish feta which has an identical flavour and likewise melts. Else, bitter cream, yogurt and even cream plus a squeeze of lemon may have an identical flavour.
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Risoni / orzo – Known as risoni right here in Australia and Italy however orzo in a lot of the remainder of the world, I’ve an enormous comfortable spot for these little rice-shaped pastas. I like that it cooks rapidly and that it tastes like risotto (minus all of the patient-stirring work!).
Discover risoni within the pasta aisle at common grocery shops. Substitute with different small pasta like ditalini, star formed pasta or these tiny novelty pasta shapes (think about this with dinosaur pasta!).
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Goat’s cheese (nearer up photograph above) – Cheese constituted of goat moderately than cow’s milk and has a definite tang to it. This recipe makes use of the goat’s cheese that has a texture like Danish feta (ie the comfortable creamy kind of feta), image above. Whenever you crumble it, it smears in your fingers and when heated, it melts.
Discover it at common grocery shops, often bought in log type. Even my nook retailer sells it!
Substitute with (so as of precedence) Danish feta, bitter cream, full fats Greek yogurt or common cream plus a squeeze of lemon.
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Roasted purple peppers / capsicum (aka bell peppers) – These are retailer purchased jars with strips of purple capsicum which have been charred and blistered so it has a beautiful smokey flavour and the flesh is tremendous comfortable and candy so it melds superbly into the sauce. *Additionally see information field beneath for various names for roasted peppers*
Discover them within the pickle part of normal grocery shops although yow will discover them for significantly higher values (particularly in massive jars) at continental and European delis and produce outlets.
Substitute – Sauté contemporary strips of capsicum, zucchini half moons, asparagus, mushrooms or any vegetable you’d like, although you received’t get the identical smoky flavour. Or use different jarred/canned greens like artichokes, asparagus, solar dried tomatoes.
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Tomato passata – Clean pureed, strained pure tomatoes, typically labelled “tomato puree” within the US (right here’s a photograph of Mutti tomato passata bought at Walmart). It’s available in Australian supermarkets these days, alongside pasta sauces and prices across the identical as canned tomato. Passata is great for making thick, easy tomato primarily based sauces, like we’re doing in immediately’s risoni recipe. Extra on tomato passata right here.
Substitute: For these of you within the US, substituted with the what you name tomato puree (like Hunts). In any other case, use canned crushed tomato (although the sauce color received’t be such a vibrant purple color).
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Kalamata olives – Provides fabulous little briny pops into this dish, and flavours the sauce.
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Purple onion and garlic – The fragrant flavour bases for this recipe.
Roasted purple peppers – totally different names and jar labels
What we name capsicum right here in Australia, NZ and another components of the world are referred to as bell peppers within the US and candy peppers or simply peppers within the UK and most components of Europe.
So typically right here in Australia, they are going to be bought in jars labelled “roasted purple peppers”. It’s not spicy peppers (ie chilli) that we consider! It’s capsicum. 🙂
Ending: basil or parsley – or nothing
Discovering myself with an abundance of additional basil from stress-testing the basil storing methodology I shared final week, I made a decision on a whim to complete the dish with basil and it made it even higher! Although till this week, I’ve at all times been ending it with only a small quantity of parsley.
However in all honesty, there may be a lot happening right here already with the olives and goat’s cheese and roasted peppers, it’s nonetheless 100% scrumptious with none contemporary herbs. I’d in all probability add a teaspoon of dried oregano into the sauce although!
It takes round 20 minutes to make from begin to end, together with preparation. There’s little chopping to be completed!
Workflow – Get the risoni boiling then begin on the sauce. The cooked risoni can sit within the colander till you’re able to stir it in.
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Prepare dinner risoni till a tiny bit underneath completed ie. very al dente. The centre shouldn’t be raw-pasta arduous however only a bit firmer than you’d prefer to eat. Cause: the risoni will hold cooking within the sauce so we don’t need it absolutely cooked at this stage.
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Reserve pasta water – Simply earlier than draining, scoop out a mugful of the pasta cooking water. We shall be utilizing this to loosen the olive pasta sauce later. It’s good follow to make use of the pasta cooking cooking water as a result of it’s acquired starch from the pasta in it which helps the sauce cling to the little bits of risoni (I preach this for each single pasta recipe I share!).
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Drain and rinse – Drain the risoni then give it a fast rinse underneath chilly faucet water to rinse off extra starch. In the event you skip this step, the sauce can get a little bit too “gluey” from extra starch, and likewise prevents the risoni from sticking collectively because it’s sitting within the colander ready for use.
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Sauté – Utilizing a big deep skillet (the one I exploit is 30cm/12″) on excessive warmth, prepare dinner the onion first for round 2 minutes till it begins to melt. Then add the strips of capsicum/peppers and garlic. Prepare dinner for one more 1 minute till the garlic is gentle golden, and the onion is fairly floppy.
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Sauce – Add the passata and olives, then stir.
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Simmer – Deliver to a simmer then decrease the top and simmer for 3 minutes on medium warmth, stirring once in a while. Throughout this step, the briny, salty flavour from the olives and the smoky flavour from the capsicum/peppers releases into the sauce which provides flavour. YUM!
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Risoni – Add the cooked risoni, salt and about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Stir by way of till the risoni is coated within the sauce.
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Basil and melty goat’s cheese – Add a lot of the goat’s cheese (reserve a bit for garnish) and stir it by way of till it melts and turns into creamy (it melts rapidly). Then stir by way of the basil (if utilizing), simply earlier than serving.
Then you definitely’re completed! Ladle into bowls or into a big serving bowl, sprinkle with goat’s cheese (or simply add a clump if it’s comfortable and sticky – extra impactful!) and little basil leaves or chopped basil. Then dig in!
That is substantial sufficient and definitely fascinating sufficient to be a meal by itself. Basically, it is a vegetarian pasta dish (regardless of the repetitive comparisons I make to risotto!) which includes a first rate quantity of greens (tomato, onion, capsicum/bell peppers) so that you don’t want so as to add a aspect dish to spherical out your meal.
Nonetheless, it’d even be terrific served as a aspect dish with a easy piece of protein. I truly meant to {photograph} it with a bit of pan fried fish or prawns/shrimp plonked on prime, cooked with simply salt and pepper. Then the thought could be to eat the protein with the oozy risoni taking part in a number of roles right here – just like the sauce in addition to a starch and vegetable aspect.
Strive it with my on a regular basis marinated chicken breast (named as such as a result of it’s made with pantry staples), Italian marinated chicken, Lemon Garlic Marinated Pork Chops or pile over some Greek Lamb Meatballs (think about that!).
Hope you get pleasure from! – Johnsat x
SUGGESTED SIMPLE PROTEINS TO SERVE WITH THIS RISONI
Ingredients
- 250g/ 8oz risoni pasta (orzo) , or other very small pasta (tiny stars, novelty shapes like dinosaurs, ditalini)
- 2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt , for cooking the pasta
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion , halved then cut into 5mm / 0.2″ slices (sub regular onion)
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 310g/ 10oz jar chargrilled / fire-roasted sliced red capsicum/peppers (~ 1 cup), drained, roughly chopped into 2.5cm / 1″ pieces (Note 1)
- 2 cups tomato passata or puree (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives or other briny/pickly thing (like pickles, chopped)
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 120g/4 oz goat's cheese , the creamy feta type (Note 3)
- 1 tightly packed cup basil leaves
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped parsley , plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Boil risoni – Bring a small pot or large saucepan of water to the boil. Add salt and cook risoni until just under al dente (ie still a bit firm inside) as it will cook more in the sauce. 8 minutes for me.
- Drain & rinse – Just before draining, scoop out 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain, rinse briefly under the tap then leave the risoni in the colander while you finish the sauce.
- Sauté – Heat the oil in a large non stick skillet (30cm/12") over high heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes until starting to soften. Add garlic and capsicum strips. Cook for 2 minutes until the onion is softened.
- Simmer – Add tomato and olives. Bring to a simmer, lower heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.
- Melt goat cheese – Add cooked risoni, salt, pepper and the pasta cooking water. Stir to combine. Add most of the goat's cheese (reserve some for garnish), stir so it melts.
- Basil & serve – Stir through basil or parsley just before serving. Divide between bowls. Crumble over reserved goat's cheese, sprinkle with extra basil. Dig in with a spoon!
Notes
1. Fire roasted red peppers / capsicum – Find it alongside olives, it’s smoky, soft, slippery and a terrific shortcut here. Substitution ideas – sauté your own capsicum strips or other vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus), or use other fire roasted vegetables you find (asparagus is one I’ve seen).
PS It’s not spicy, despite the name “pepper” 🙂
2. Tomato passata – Sold in bottles in the pasta aisle (sometimes canned tomato section). US: substitute what what you call “tomato puree” (eg Hunts). More on passata in post or here. Substitute with 600g/21 oz (1 1/2 cans) canned crushed tomato and simmer for a few extra minutes.
3. Goat cheese is cheese made from goat milk which has a distinctive creamy texture with a mild flavour that is a bit tangy. You need the soft feta sort for this dish, usually sold in log form – melts beautifully into sauces. Sold at regular grocery stores. Substitute with Danish feta (ie the creamy sort) or sour cream (1/2 to 3/4 cup). Else, yogurt or 1/3 – 1/2 cup cream plus a squeeze of lemon juice will deliver a similar flavour.
4. Herb finishes – Basil is my first preference, the freshness really elevates the dish. If I don’t have it, I use parsley or add 1 tsp dried oregano when I add the garlic.
Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in microwave and loosen as needed with splash of water to make it oozy again.
Nutrition per serving. Calorie savings from using heavy on low-cal vegetables – tomato passata, fire roasted red peppers (it’s not packed in oil) and onion.
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