Orzo With Roasted Vegetables
Description
This idea came from Ina Garten’s, ‘Barefoot Contessa Parties’ – but the same idea applies to couscous, wild rice or any other grain or pasta. We love ours with a generous sprinkle of goat cheese – enjoy!
Ingredients
1 small red onion, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 yellow pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
+ any other vegetables of your choosing to fill the pan
crumbled feta or goat cheese and fresh herbs if you have them for serving
1 c. orzo, cooked according to directions (though I regularly use half a package or 250 g) – quinoa or couscous is equally tasty and an easy way to change things up
For the dressing;
equal parts fresh lemon juice and olive oil – I found that 1/4 c. of each was more than enough
salt and pepper if needed – there may be enough on the vegetables already
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 and cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. I use olive oil spray to save a step and I spray everything once, stir a bit and then lightly spray again. You need very little oil for roasting, especially when there’s a dressing involved later on. Sprinkle everything lightly with salt and pepper and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how full your baking sheet is. Stir every 15 minutes and check for doneness as you go – we prefer our veggies a little on the crunchy side, which also improves the consistency of the leftovers.
Try to time the orzo so that it’s done as the vegetables are done, then you can toss everything together with the dressing and your pasta won’t clump as it cools.
Assemble the vegetables and orzo in a large bowl and toss in the dressing – add in the goat cheese (or feta) and some and fresh herbs (like basil) if you’d like – chopped green onion is another suggestion. Let it all cool to room temperature and then serve.
We’ve had this a couple of different ways depending on the vegetables I have on hand etc. It’s very nice with the light dressing and goes well with just about anything.
- Category: Pasta, Salad
