Risoni with Mince Sauce – Κριθαράκι με κιμά
Risoni with Mince Sauce – Κριθαράκι με κιμά
One pot Risoni pasta dish
Risoni with mince is a complete one pot meal enjoyed by everyone in the family. My girls can’t get enough of it! Enjoyed simply with some yoghurt and a salad, this is a comforting dish for any time of the year.
I usually refer to risoni/orzo as “kritharaki” but I recently heard giagia Kostoula referring to it as “manestra” as well!
It is a bit of a spin on another classic Greek dish called “γιουβέτσι” which is basically risoni with meat pieces. I usually tend to cook it that way when I have leftover meat so I make a new meal out of what I already have in the fridge.
The recipe for the risoni and mince is very easy to put together and if you double the recipe you can easily store half or in portions in the freezer.
Risoni with mince sauce - Κριθαράκι με κιμά
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Resting time 10 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Servings: 5
Ingredients
• olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 500 g beef mince
• 1 small carrot, diced finely
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 4 cups warm water
• 1 cup risoni pasta
• 10 sprigs of parsley, chopped
• grated cheese, I used graviera
Seasoning mix
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp rosemary
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
1. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot and sautée the onions until they soften. Then add the carrots and celery stirring briefly.
2. Add the mince, breaking it up into smaller pieces while it’s frying. Once it has changed colour add the seasoning mix, stirring until it is all combined.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and one cup of warm water. Bring it to a boil and the n let it simmer for 25min or until the sauce is reduced.
4. After that time add the risoni and the rest of the water. Stir the ingredients well and do so frequently while the food is cooking so that the risoni doesn’t stick to the bottom. Allow it to cook for 20min on low heat.
5. Once the risoni is cooked, stir through the parsley and cover it to rest for 10min before serving. Enjoy warm.
Recipe Notes
I used a salty cheese to grate on top and tomato paste hence why the amount of salt is minimum. You can always add more to your plate if you need to.
The spices can be changed to whatever you prefer to add to your mince sauce. I just love the combination of these four.
If you like the sauce to be more runny then you may pour more water when you add the risoni.
