Creamy Mushroom & Thyme Orzo Bake

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 300 g orzo pasta
• 500 g chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced
• salt and black pepper
• 4 shallots, finely diced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
• extra Parmesan and fresh thyme, to finish
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 800 ml hot vegetable stock
• 150 ml double cream
• 30 g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 60 g Parmesan, finely grated
• Crusty bread, to serve
• Rocket salad, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C fan. Heat the olive oil and butter together in a wide ovenproof casserole over a medium-high heat until the butter foams and quietens.
2. Add the sliced mushrooms in a single layer — don't crowd the pan, or they'll steam and go grey instead of browning. Work in two batches if your pan looks tight. Leave them undisturbed for 4–5 minutes until the undersides are deep mahogany and the kitchen smells nutty, then stir and cook another 2 minutes until any released liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper, tip onto a plate, set aside.
3. Drop the heat to medium and add the shallots to the same pan — those brown stuck bits are flavour, leave them be. Fry for about 5 minutes, stirring now and again, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and thyme and stir for 30 seconds, just until fragrant — no more. Burnt garlic turns the whole bake bitter, so watch it and move on the moment it smells sweet.
4. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble vigorously for 2 minutes, scraping the base with a wooden spoon to lift all the fond into the sauce. Return the browned mushrooms with any resting juices.
5. Tip in the orzo and stir to slick every grain in the pan juices — this is your only chance to season the pasta itself, so don't skip the next step. Pour over the hot, well-salted vegetable stock (taste it — it should taste like a properly seasoned soup) and the double cream. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer, then take it off the heat.
6. Stir half the Parmesan through the orzo, scatter the rest over the top, and season generously with salt and plenty of black pepper. Taste the liquid now — adjust the salt now, not at the table.
7. Transfer to the oven and bake uncovered for 20–22 minutes, until the orzo is tender with a touch of bite, the liquid is absorbed, and the top is golden with a lightly crisp crust. Leave to stand for 5 minutes — the orzo keeps drinking in the sauce as it rests.
8. Bring the casserole to the table, shower with extra Parmesan and fresh thyme leaves, and serve with torn crusty bread and a sharp rocket salad alongside to cut the richness. To reheat portions, add a splash of stock to loosen.