Autumn Orzo Stew

A really quick and nutritious meal, perfect to pop in the oven and leave to cook while you get on with something else (or just scroll insta…)

Ingredients
400g tin of mixed beans
400g chopped tinned tomatoes
100g Orzo pasta
1 red onion chopped into small pieces
2 cloves of garlic
½ stick of celery cut into small pieces
1 tsp of paprika
300ml of hot vegetable stock
2/3 thick slices of old bread (sour dough works well)
30g of grated hard cheese like cheddar
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Method
Preheat your oven to 200c
Fry the onion for 4-5 minutes in 1 tbsp of oil on a low heat until soft
Add garlic and celery and cook for a further 2 minutes
Add the tin of beans, chopped tomatoes, paprika, vegetable stock and orzo to a large lidded casserole dish and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
After 20mins stir the mixture, adding more water if necessary to prevent the orzo from sticking to the pan.
Return the stew to the oven and cook for a further 20mins.
While your stew is cooking tear up your slices of bread into chunks, toss in the remaining oil, lay evenly on a baking sheet and sprinkle with cheese. Pop in the oven for the last 10 minutes of your stew’s cooking time.
Spoon your stew into bowls and top with your cheesy croutons.