Ingredients
For the orzo and veggies:
- 1½ cups mushrooms, destemmed and sliced
- 1 sweet bell pepper, diced
- ½ bunch asparagus, cut into 1" pieces with woody ends discarded
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup shallot onions, diced
- 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup whole wheat orzo
- 1½ cups water (or low sodium vegetable broth)
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Roast the Veggies:
- Heat oven to 425°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Place the mushrooms, bell peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, garlic and shallot on one pan. Sprinkle with *2 tablespoons of olive oil. Using a spatula, mix all the veggies together with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then stir again. Move half of the veggie mixture to the other sheet pan. Spread the veggies in one layer, making sure there's no overlapping on both pans.
- Roast for 35-40 minutes (due to oven variations, keep an eye on your veggies and start checking your veggies at 25 minutes; a bit of charring is good!). Rotate pans half way through roasting.
Cook the Orzo:
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, add remaining *1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the orzo, and stir, coating the orzo thoroughly. Stir occasionally for about 3 minutes or until the orzo is toasty and golden. Add the water (or broth). Be careful here because the liquid will spit and sputter. Bring to a simmer, turn down the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
Make the Dressing:
- In a small bowl add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Whisk until all the ingredients are combined.
Putting it all Together:
- In the large sauté pan, add the roasted veggies and all their juices to the orzo; stir in the dressing, feta, and almonds. Serve immediately.
Variations & Tips
- You can add other veggies that you may have on hand or that are in season. Zucchini or eggplant would work great in this recipe.
- This can easily be made dairy free without the feta cheese. Or try parmesan in place of feta.
- Use walnuts or hazelnuts, instead of almonds.
- You can use whole wheat penne pasta instead of orzo.
Nutrition Facts
YIELD: 4 servings
Calories: 425 per serving, Carbohydrates: 42g, Fiber: 4.3g, Sugar: 8.6g (0g added sugar), Protein: 11.9g, Fat: 24.5g, Saturated fat: 4.7g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 434mg
SOURCE: adapted from VanillaAndBean.com