Creamy Tomato & Spinach Orzo

Ingredients

• 300 g orzo
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 500 ml hot vegetable stock
• 100 ml double cream
• 100 g baby spinach
• 60 g Parmesan, finely grated
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 20 g fresh basil, torn
• ciabatta, to serve
• rocket salad, to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide, deep pan over medium heat. Slide in the sliced garlic and chilli flakes and cook for around 30 seconds, just until fragrant and pale gold — don't let it darken. Burnt garlic turns the whole dish bitter, and there's no rescuing it from here.
2. Add the halved cherry tomatoes with a good pinch of salt and cook for 2–3 minutes, pressing them gently with the back of a spoon until they slump and release their juices. Tip in the tinned tomatoes along with the hot stock — the stock is what breaks the tinned tomatoes down so they taste of summer fruit, not tin.
3. Stir in the orzo and bring to a steady simmer. This is your salted pasta water moment built into the sauce: taste the liquid now and adjust — it should taste properly seasoned, almost like the sea, because orzo soaks up everything around it and you won't get a second chance to season the grains themselves.
4. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring frequently so the orzo doesn't catch on the base. You're looking for al dente grains in a glossy sauce that just clings — loosen with a splash of hot water if it tightens too quickly.
5. Pour in the double cream and pile in the spinach. The leaves collapse within a minute; fold them through until the sauce turns coral pink and silky.
6. Pull the pan off the heat. Stir through the Parmesan and the lemon juice — off the heat keeps the cheese smooth and the acid bright. Taste, season with salt and black pepper, then taste again. Adjust now, at the pan, not at the table.
7. Spoon the orzo into warm bowls, scatter generously with torn basil and a final shower of Parmesan, and bring it to the table with warm ciabatta and a sharp rocket salad alongside.