Vegan Sweet Potato Baked Orzo

This vegan sweet potato baked orzo is a fall flavored one-pan dinner. Loaded with sweet potatoes, orzo, and veggies. A delicious dinner or side dish.

Welcome to a one-pan dinner recipe. Minimal dishes, and tons of flavor, all in one pan. And most of the cook time is in the oven, so you're hands off the majority of the time!

This vegan sweet potato baked orzo is my idea of a cozy fall dinner. You've got soft orzo pasta, creamy chunks of sweet potato, and tons of flavor from onion/garlic and dried herbs. Plus some spinach stirred in at the end for veg. It's a dish you'll want to eat over and over again.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Vegan Sweet Potato Baked Orzo
• Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
• Step-By-Step Instructions
• Elizabeth's Kitchen Notes
• FAQ & Expert Tips
• Recipe Prayer
• Related Recipes
• Tried this recipe?
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why You'll Love This Vegan Sweet Potato Baked Orzo

• One-pan - the entire dish comes together in one pan. Less dishes is a win!
• Dietary needs - this orzo is totally vegan. It also can easily be made gluten-free and oil-free. Instructions below!
• Delicious fall dinner or side - this orzo makes a great meal - add some extra protein if you'd like. Or it's a nice side to serve alongside protein & veg

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

• Sweet Potato: you could probably make this with another potato but I haven't tried it. I like the flavor with sweet potato!
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: optional, to help sauté the sweet potato
• Shallots: or yellow onion
• Garlic
• Vegetable Broth: cooking the orzo in broth instead of water gives much more flavor. Look for a no-added sugar broth
• Orzo⁣: orzo is a rice-shaped pasta! Find it in the pasta aisle
• Vegan Parmesan: I used grated parm from a Violife block. I don't recommend cashew parm here - if you don't want to use a store-bought parm, omit the cheese.
• Salt & Pepper
• Sage & Thyme: a small amount of dried sage and thyme transforms this dish with fall flavor
• Spinach: fresh spinach stirred in at the end adds a nice green veg. Feel free to use another leafy green.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 425℉.

Step 2. In an oven-safe pan, sauté the sweet potato for 7-10 minutes. If using a non-stick you can sauté without oil - this is really just to get the potatoes soft.

Step 3. Add the garlic and shallot and cook another 2 minutes.

Step 4. Add the orzo, parmesan, spices, and broth to the pan and stir.

Step 5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the orzo is soft.

Step 6. Remove from the oven and add the spinach. Toss well and allow it to wilt. Serve.

Elizabeth's Kitchen Notes

• Sweet Potatoes: take special care to cut the sweet potatoes into even pieces, so they cook consistently.
• Orzo: different orzos have different baking times, so at the end of the baking time, check the texture. If the orzo is still hard, continue baking. If it looks particularly dry, you can add another splash of water or broth.
• Add protein: feel free to stir in chickpeas when you stir in the spinach. Or cook my vegan seitan chicken or another vegan protein and stir in when you stir in the spinach

FAQ & Expert Tips

Recipe Prayer

Thank you God for this warm fall meal. Let it nourish our bodies. Amen.

Related Recipes

Tried this recipe?

Please leave a review in the comments section below and post on Instagram tagging me @elizabeths_table. You can also stay in touch with me on social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok or by subscribing to my newsletter.

📖 Recipe