Halloumi Butternut Squash Orzo Bake

The butternut squash and halloumi work so well together and I love that this is something a little different. I hope you do too! If pasta bakes are your thing, this special edition Orzo Bake is going to be right up your street. Our seasonings are simple – garlic, paprika and pesto, while the combination of butternut squash, cherry tomatoes, halloumi and red onion give this veggie pasta dish a meaty consistency and tonnes of complementing flavours. This is a great meal for vegetarians, or if you’re simply exploring more meat-free recipes. If you’ve never cooked with orzo before, you MUST give it a try! It’s a really versatile and delicious type of pasta (a similar shape to rice) that works perfectly in a bake-style dish.

Why you’ll love this Halloumi & Butternut Squash Orzo recipe

⭐️ Easy hands-off cooking ⭐️ Fresh and delicious ⭐️ Low cost and no faff The inclusion of halloumi – our favourite squeaky, meaty cheese – as well as easy-to-cook vegetable butternut squash, means it’s satisfying, hearty and comforting, not to mention tasty. Apart from the onions, there’s also NO CHOPPING involved if you use pre-prepared butternut squash like I do. If you’re new to orzo or haven’t used it much before, it is known in Italy as ‘little pasta’, and was traditionally used in soups. It’s shaped a little like rice but tastes like pasta. It works well on the hob, like with my Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo, Simple Sausage Orzo and Marry Me Chicken Orzo, as a bake like this one or my Broccoli Orzo Bake, or even in the slow cooker, like my Lamb Orzo Stew. In the freezer Orzo is always at its best when cooked and eaten immediately, but that’s not to say it won’t still be delicious if it’s out of the freezer the texture can just become very stodgy. See the tip above for reheating. If do you think it needs a stir, try to do it carefully to leave the halloumi on top if you can!