Sun-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Orzo Two Ways

 

Recipes  ·  Plant-Based  ·  Family Friendly

Sun-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Orzo Two Ways

A plant-based weeknight dinner that works for everyone at the table — a nourishing baby-friendly base, and a grown-up bowl finished with Momofuku Mild Garlic Chili Crunch and plant-based feta. One cook, everyone fed.

#gifted — Momofuku Chili Crunch

Some nights you make dinner and it just works. This was one of those nights. I'd been gifted a Momofuku chili crunch pack and wanted to build something around it — something that felt elevated but was genuinely weeknight-doable. And because we're in that season of life where I'm cooking for babies and adults at the same time, it had to pull double duty.

Enter: orzo toasted in a pan with softened red onion, celery and fresh garlic, simmered in a quick miso stock with frozen spinach stirred straight in (the sneaky greens moment), finished with a splash of oat milk and vegan butter until it's creamy and glossy. Mushrooms sautéed separately, fresh basil chiffonade folded through. A heavy swirl of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil before plating.

Then I pulled the babies' portions — naturally flavorful, soft, completely yummy — and finished the grown-up bowls with pink salt, cracked pepper, Momofuku Mild Garlic Chili Crunch, and crumbled plant-based feta. Both versions were completely cleaned out. That's a win.

The Two Ways Method 🌿🍜

Same pan, same base — pull the baby and toddler portions before adding miso, salt, sun-dried tomatoes, chili crunch, and feta. One cook. Everyone fed. Nobody compromised.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Orzo Two Ways

Serves 2 adults + 2 small portions  ·  ~35 minutes

Toasted orzo simmered in miso stock with hidden greens, finished with oat milk, vegan butter, and a heavy swirl of sun-dried tomatoes — then crowned with Momofuku Mild Garlic Chili Crunch and plant-based feta for the grown-up bowls.

Ingredients

1 cuporganic orzo
½red onion, finely chopped
2celery stalks, finely chopped
3fresh garlic cloves, minced
2 cupsvegetable stock
1 tbspwhite miso paste (grown-up bowls only)
2 cupsorganic white mushrooms, sliced
½ cupfrozen chopped spinach
¼ cupfresh basil, chiffonade
¼ cupoat milk
1 tbspvegan butter
1 tbspolive oil
3 tbspsun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped (grown-up bowls only)
1 tbspMomofuku Mild Garlic Chili Crunch (grown-up bowls only)
¼ cupplant-based feta, crumbled (grown-up bowls only)
to tastepink salt & cracked pepper (grown-up bowls only)

Method

  1. 1

    Prep your stock (two ways)

    For grown-up bowls: whisk the miso paste into the vegetable stock until dissolved and set aside. For baby/toddler bowls: use plain vegetable stock with no miso.

  2. 2

    Soften the aromatics

    Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Add the red onion, celery, and garlic. Cook low and slow until softened and fragrant, about 8–10 minutes. No salt at this stage — keeping it baby-friendly.

  3. 3

    Toast the orzo

    Add the orzo to the pan and stir to coat. Toast for 2–3 minutes until it turns lightly golden and nutty-smelling.

  4. 4

    Simmer with spinach

    Pour in your stock and stir in the frozen spinach straight from the bag. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed — about 10–12 minutes. Add a splash more stock if needed.

  5. 5

    Sauté the mushrooms

    While the orzo simmers, heat a little olive oil in a separate pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until golden and tender — about 6–8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir through the fresh basil.

  6. 6

    Finish the orzo

    Once the orzo is al dente, reduce heat to low. Stir in the oat milk and vegan butter until creamy and glossy. Fold in the mushroom and basil mixture.

🍼 Pull the baby portions now

Spoon the baby and toddler portions into their bowls now. Soft, nourishing, naturally sweet from the aromatics and spinach — completely delicious as is. Let cool before serving to little ones. 🌿

  1. 7

    Season & swirl for the grown-ups

    Back to the pan: season well with pink salt and cracked pepper. Stir through the sun-dried tomatoes — the olive oil from the jar adds gorgeous depth. Plate generously.

  2. 8

    Finish with Chili Crunch & feta

    Top with a heavy drizzle of Momofuku Mild Garlic Chili Crunch. Crumble over plant-based feta to finish. The saltiness and tang cuts right through the richness — it's the move. Serve immediately. 🫙

Notes

Sneaky greens 🌿Frozen spinach melts right into the orzo as it simmers — you barely notice it's there but you absolutely feel it. Baby-approved and grown-up delicious.
Stock tipMiso stock is the secret weapon for the grown-up version — umami depth without any heaviness. Don't skip it.
Mushroom upgradeTry a mix of white and cremini, or go full wild mushroom for a more earthy, restaurant-worthy result.
Sun-dried tomatoesUse the ones packed in olive oil, not the dry-packed kind. The oil is flavour gold.
On the fetaPlant-based feta adds a salty, tangy lift that cuts beautifully through the richness. Violife is our go-to but any good plant-based block feta works.
Gluten-freeSwap orzo for short-grain rice or a gluten-free pasta shape, and use tamari instead of miso paste.
GiftedMomofuku Mild Garlic Chili Crunch was gifted — but the obsession is entirely our own.

Caption — @happymamainla

Weeknight dinner but make it a whole moment. 🍄

Started with red onion, celery & fresh garlic — softened low and slow, then toasted organic orzo before simmering in a quick miso stock with frozen spinach stirred straight in. Mushrooms sautéed separately, finished with fresh basil chiffonade. Once the orzo hit al dente, I stirred in oat milk and vegan butter until creamy and glossy.

Then a heavy swirl of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil before plating — and the finishing touch? Momofuku Mild Garlic Chili Crunch. No heat, all that garlicky crunch and depth. It made the whole dish.

I made this twice in one night — once for the babies (orzo base, mushrooms, sneaky spinach, oat milk — cleaned out) and once for us with miso stock, sun-dried tomatoes, chili crunch and plant-based feta. Both versions completely gone. That's the win. 🙌

gifted by @momofuku but the obsession is entirely my own.

#gifted #momofuku #chilicrounch #veganrecipes #mushroomorzo #plantbaseddinner #weeknightdinner #easyveganrecipes #happymamainla #plantbasedfamily #sneakygreens #familydinner

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