Chorizo does the heavy lifting here. You cook it off first until it’s golden and it leaves behind a pan full of paprika-coloured oil, and everything after that cooks in it. Carrot, celery and onion go in, then zucchini and capsicum, then paprika, thyme, lemon slices and the risoni.
A litre of chicken stock goes over the top and the risoni cooks in it, straight in the pan, for about 10 minutes. No draining, no second pot. At the end you pull the lemon slices out, stir a bunch of parsley through it and that’s dinner.
It’s four vegetables plus a bunch of parsley in a dish nobody thinks of as a vegetable dinner, which is the useful part. Forty-five minutes all up and it feeds four.
Why You’ll Love It
One pan, one lot of washing up, and the risoni soaks up all the stock and paprika instead of going into a colander. Three chorizo sausages is enough to flavour the whole dish, so the meat is doing a job rather than being the bulk, which keeps the cost down. There’s a lot of vegetable in here and none of it announces itself, because it’s all diced small and cooked into the base. It also reheats well, so it’s a genuinely useful one to make when you want lunches for the next day out of the same effort.
The Shortcut That Makes It Work
Cooking the risoni in the stock is what turns this from a pasta dish with a sauce into a one pan dinner. Risoni is small enough to cook through in about 10 minutes in a shallow pan of liquid, so you skip boiling water, salting it, draining it and washing the pot. It also means the risoni takes on the paprika and the chorizo oil while it cooks, which is flavour you can’t get by tossing cooked pasta in a sauce at the end. The lemon slices do something similar, sitting in the liquid while it cooks and then coming out before serving.
Handy Tips
Cook the chorizo properly at the start until it’s golden, since that’s where the colour and most of the flavour in the pan comes from, and pale chorizo makes for a pale dish. Keep an eye on the liquid once the risoni goes in and stir it now and then, because risoni sinks and the bottom layer catches if you leave it. If it dries out before the risoni is tender, add a splash of water, which the recipe expects you to do. Dice the vegetables small and roughly the same size so they cook in the time the risoni takes. And take the lemon slices out before you serve it, or someone gets a mouthful of cooked lemon rind.
What To Serve With It
It’s a full dinner on its own. A green salad next to it if you want something fresh, or crusty bread to go through what’s left in the pan. It doesn’t need much, and adding a starch to a dish that’s already pasta is a waste of a plate.
Leftovers / How to Store It
It keeps in the fridge for up to three days in a container. Risoni keeps absorbing liquid as it sits, so it’ll be much thicker cold than it was in the pan. Add a splash of water or stock when you reheat it and stir it through, and it loosens back up. It’s good cold too, more like a risoni salad, which is a decent lunch if you’re not near a microwave.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
Spanish Style Risoni
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time
30 minutes 
Total Time 45 minutes 
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan and sizzle the chorizo until golden.
- Add carrot, celery, and onion, cooking for a few minutes.
- Toss in zucchini and capsicum, stirring for a few more minutes.
- Stir in paprika, thyme, lemon slices, and risoni.
- Pour over chicken stock, give it a good stir, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to low and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it dries out before the risoni is tender, add a splash of water.
- Remove lemon slices, stir through parsley, and season with salt.
- Serve up and enjoy this flavour-packed dish!
Nutrition
Video
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FAQs
Can I make it vegetarian?
Yes, and there are only two things to change. Leave the chorizo out and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, then add another spoon of smoked paprika to make up for the flavour the chorizo was carrying. A tin of drained chickpeas or a couple of handfuls of mushrooms gives you back the substance. Expect something lighter than the original, since the chorizo oil is doing a lot of work in the pan.
What can I use instead of risoni?
Any small pasta will do, so macaroni or small shells work. Keep in mind that different shapes drink different amounts of liquid and take different times, so watch it and add water if it looks dry before the pasta’s tender.
What colour capsicum should I use?
Any of them. Red is sweeter and suits the paprika, green is sharper. The recipe doesn’t specify, so use whatever’s cheapest.
Can I make it ahead for lunches?
Yes, and it’s a good one for it. Make it, portion it out and keep it in the fridge for up to three days. It thickens up as it sits, so keep a bit of stock or water aside to loosen it when you reheat it.
Why is my risoni still hard?
It’s run out of liquid before it’s finished cooking, which happens if the pan’s wide and it’s evaporating fast. Add a splash of water, give it a stir and keep going. It’s meant to be a bit forgiving, and the recipe tells you to do exactly that.
Another tasty dish. Thank you
Rosini I’ve found is great . Purchased a big bag of basmati rice just didn’t taste right.
So I had some rosini and it goes so much better .
Even the boss liked it
Love that Joy, risoni holds up so much better than rice in this one.
Easy meals love it❤️
This was wonderful. Tasted great. I am going to put this in as a favourite.