Lamb & chickpea orzo

A one-pot wonder that's ready in 35 minutes

Hello, lovely subscribers (including lots of new names, I’m so thrilled to welcome!). If you’ve found your way here and aren’t part of the coolest community of millennial nanas, gardening novices and full-time foodies on Substack yet, allow me to help…

We’re heading into cosy comfort food season, people! This is where I really come into my own in the kitchen. Slow-cooked meats, potatoes, cheese, wine, stock… all that full, rib-sticking flavour. And often, all in one pot. Sautee, sizzle, simmer and stick the lid on recipes are my favourites. Making a casserole-dish-based dinner feels like effortful, love-stuffed cooking but really, it’s quite hands-off and relaxing.

This lamb and chickpea orzo recipe ticks all the boxes for cold, wet evenings. It’s hearty and filling - we’ve got lamb and pasta and pulses in one dish here - without being too rich or decadent, thanks to the spices and finishing feta. ‘Finishing feta’ should be more of a thing IMHO. It heats up really well the next day too.

When I first made lamb and chickpea orzo, I utilised Sunday’s leftover slow-cooked, shredded lamb shoulder lunch, so do keep that in mind next time you’ve got excess roast meat. But to keep costs (and oven time!) down, the lamb mince I’m suggesting below works perfectly.

Serves 4

• 1 red onion, diced

• 2 cloves of garlic, grated

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1 tbsp oregano

• 1/2 tsp mint

• 1 tsp chilli flakes

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 400g lamb mince

• 400g chopped tomatoes

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 500ml lamb stock

• 200g orzo

• 120g chickpeas

• Handful of fresh tomatoes, halved

• 150g feta for serving

• Handful of fresh chopped parsley for serving

Add a generous lug of olive oil to a pan - I like a cast-iron casserole dish for this, but a large frying pan works too - and bring to a low-medium heat.

Throw in the red onion and saute until soft but not brown, then add the garlic along with the salt, pepper, oregano, mint, chilli flakes, cinnamon, paprika and lemon juice. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring to make sure everything is coated and not catching.

Next, add the lamb mince. Use a wooden spoon to break it up and combine it with the onion mixture. Once the lamb has browned, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar. Then add the hot lamb stock.

Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and leave for 25 minutes.

Pour in the orzo and stir. After 5 minutes, add the chickpeas and fresh tomatoes for 3-4 minutes. If you can, pop the lid on for this last bit.

Serve with crumbled feta and parsley.