I always forget how much I love orzo until I eat orzo. And then when I eat it I inwardly question why I don’t eat it more. I’m sure you know, but despite looking like rice orzo is actually a noodle. While the word orzo, also known as risoni, is also called “big rice,” and even “barley,” orzo is not a grain. It’s a short-cut macaroni. And it’s so versatile. I can’t believe how often I forget orzo exists. I need to load my recipe list up with orzo recipes just to force myself to make it more because . . . YUM!
This recipe using orzo reminded me of my love of the pasta. It made a good vegetable dish, a good pasta/orzo dish, and was generally pretty easy to make.
I paired it with a chicken dish, but really I think this recipe could stand alone.
Roasted Vegetable Orzo
(source)
Ingredients
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
1 red onion, cut into chunks
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch sugar
salt and papper, to taste
4 tsp chicken bouillon
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 (16 oz) package orzo
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450.
2. Place the zucchini, squash, onion, asparagus, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Add in the garlic, olive oil, and sugar. Mix to coat the vegetables. Spread the vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.
3. Roast the vegetables, for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender.
4. While the vegetables are roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the bouillon, wine, and orzo. Cook the orzo until al dente, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.
5. Stir the roasted vegetables and Parmesan into the orzo.
* serves 6
* 369 calories per serving
* Shared with Presto Pasta Nights & What’s Cooking Wednesday,
lawstudentscookbook 