One-Pot Orzo and Meatballs

By Yasmin Fahr

Updated March 26, 2026

  • Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
40 min
Rating
5(220)
Comments
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Simplicity astonishes at first bite: Juicy meatballs simmer in a flame-red tomato sauce with an undercurrent of smoky depth and tender bites of orzo. Pimentón, or smoked paprika, a popular ingredient in Spanish cooking, leads the show. Fresh chorizo (or Italian sausage) is rolled into one-ingredient meatballs that finish cooking with the orzo. This recipe takes cues from a Catalan dish of fideos (thin short noodles) with clams in a tomato sauce, and, similarly, the orzo here is toasted to bump up the flavor and retain its bite. Top this with cheese, such as queso fresco, Mahón or Parmesan, to add another level of creaminess. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ¾ pound fresh chorizo or Italian sausage, casing removed

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving

  • 1 small yellow onion, finely diced

  • ¾ cup orzo

  • ¼ cup tomato paste

  • 3 fat garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 ¼ teaspoons pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika), hot or sweet, depending on preference  

  • Salt

  • Parsley leaves, for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pinch off and roll the sausages into scant 1-inch balls, placing them on a plate. (There should be about 28.)

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch, high-sided skillet or large pot until shimmering. Add the meatballs; cook, stirring gently every minute or so, until the meatballs are browned all over but not cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the plate. Add the onions and cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic and paprika and season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste has darkened in color and everything is fragrant, about 1 ½ minutes more. 

  4. Step 4

    Return the meatballs to the pan. Stir in 3 cups of water and raise the heat to bring to a boil; reduce the heat to maintain an active simmer with small bubbles breaking across the surface. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom, and cook until the orzo is tender, the meatballs are cooked through, and most of the liquid absorbed, about 12 minutes more. 

  5. Step 5

    Season to taste with salt, drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve hot. 

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Ratings

5 out of 5
220 user ratings
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Comments

Jill

Orzo-to-water ratio was wrong; to get to the consistency shown in photo, took much longer and overcooks orzo. Which makes sense bc my other orzo recipes are 2:1 water:orzo ratio. Tasty but texture not so much

Benita

@Ellen S. The recipe calls for fresh chorizo, which is raw, Mexican chorizo. Spanish chorizo is already smoked or cooked, and is more like a sliceable salami.

Ellen S

I used bulk Italian sausage as Spanish chorizo is always hard for me to find, but I also think that bulk sausage is less sinewy and therefore easier to make into meatballs. I thought the water to orzo ratio was perfect. Keeping the temp very low was key to not burning thru the water too quickly.

Denise

Agree with others that by itself probably a 4 star but with some simple doctoring the recipe has good bones

David

Used the Italian sausage sold without casing, I toasted the full two minutes on good cookware and still thin 2 3/4 cups would work. It was very flavorful but a bit greasy.

Brian

I could not fathom using a 4:1 ratio for the water:orzo so I halved the amount of water called for and my recipe came out looking like the picture.

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