Manestra in jar cooking is a first course cooked in a microwave-safe jar, made with pasta, tomato, and cinnamon. A typical Greek soup that is really easy to make and full of flavor. I’ve made many jar-cooked first courses over the years, including spring vegetable jar soup and leek and potato jar soup, but I can say that manestra in jar cooking beats them all.
To make this typical Greek recipe, you can use only one type of pasta, orzo. The pasta needs to cook directly in the jar with tomato, onion, and cinnamon. At the end of cooking, when you open the jar, add cubed feta and stir. For me, it was a real discovery.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Affordable
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 1
- Cooking methods: Jar Cooking, Microwave
- Cuisine: Greek
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 624.85 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 64.75 (g) of which sugars 7.79 (g)
- Proteins 18.61 (g)
- Fat 35.64 (g) of which saturated 10.96 (g)of which unsaturated 6.83 (g)
- Fibers 6.52 (g)
- Sodium 1,194.38 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 330 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Tomato Pasta in Jar Cooking
- 6.4 oz peeled tomatoes
- 1/3 cup orzo
- 2.4 oz water
- 1/4 red onion
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (with basil)
- 2 pinches ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1.8 oz feta (or vegan feta)
What You Need for Jar Cooking
You can buy microwave-safe jars, already equipped with 4 clamps, on the website Decorazioni dolci, with discount code WECK10.
- 1 Microwave
- 1 Jar 500 ml with thin gasket
- 1 Small bowl
How to Make Manestra in a Jar
Chop the onion, place it in the small bowl, and season with oil and salt. Stir and sauté in the microwave for 1 minute at 800 watts.
Mash the peeled tomatoes into pulp, distribute them in the jar, and add the sautéed onion, orzo, cinnamon, and pepper, then stir. Pour in the water and stir again.
Clean the edges of the jar, close and clamp. Place in the microwave and start cooking for 3 minutes at reduced power, compared to the power given by the water test*. I use 440 watts on a tested 600 W. Using a cloth, grab the jar and shake it on a surface to mix the manestra in the jar. Place the jar back in the microwave and start again for 3 minutes at reduced power.
Once cooking is finished, shake the jar again and let it rest closed for 20 minutes to complete cooking. After 20 minutes, remove the clamps, heat the jar for 2 minutes, and then pull the gasket. Add the cubed feta, stir well, and enjoy your meal.
Rosella Errante’s Tips
Manestra in jar cooking should be consumed within 6-8 hours. The longer the pasta stays in the sauce, the more it tends to overcook.
If you prefer a more liquid and creamy result, reduce the pasta to 2 oz, or when you open the jar, add a little boiling water and stir.
Learn More About Microwave Jar Cooking
*The water test helps determine the power to use for jar cooking in the microwave. It’s essential to prevent jars from splattering, or the food from staying raw or, worse, failing to create the necessary pressure for vacuum sealing and preservation.
Here, on How to do jar cooking, you’ll find all the instructions.
You can also read:
Cooking Times for Jar Cooking.
Variations for Greek Jar Soup
For a vegan version, at the end of cooking, stir in vegan feta or nutritional yeast flakes.
Instead of peeled tomatoes, you can use tomato pulp.
