Egyptian Orzo Pasta aka Lesan el Asfour

4.84 from 24 votes

This orzo pasta is so good and a popular Egyptian dish, made with a tomato spiced ground beef.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: dinner

Cuisine: arab food, egyptian, middle eastern

Keyword: easy pasta recipe, egyptian food recipes, middle eastern, middle eastern food, orzo pasta

Servings: servings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In an enameled pot on medium high heat, melt butter. Add orzo pasta. Stir for a 4-5 minutes or until it is lightly golden brown and has toasted. Remove from pot and set aside.
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 16 ounces Orzo pasta
Place the pot back on the cooktop on medium heat. Add olive oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add ground beef and red pepper and cook. Drain the excess fat.
1 pound lean ground beef, 1 diced onion, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, 6 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup finely diced red pepper
Add salt, pepper, tomato paste and cinnamon. Stir until the tomato paste has coated all the beef. Add the toasted orzo pasta, and broth. Stir, and cover.
3 teaspoons sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 4 Tablespoons tomato paste, 4 cup chicken broth
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Garnish with fresh parsley!

Note: If you are not a fan of a strong cinnamon flavor, reduce the cinnamon to 1/4 tsp or 1/2 a tsp!