When I think of a quick and satisfying weeknight meal that does not involve meat, my mind often turns to pasta. And, when I think of colorful ingredients that make a dish visually appealing but also tasty, roasted or grilled vegetables always come to mind. This easy lemony orzo with roasted vegetables and some Greek Feta is a great combination of the two and is my idea of a perfect weeknight meal!
This is a dish that I make all the time and change up some of the ingredients with the seasons. Depending on which vegetables I find in the market, I often switch from the colorful peppers I use here, to asparagus when it just hits the markets in the spring, or, zucchini and yellow squash from our garden later in the summer. Any vegetable that is hardy enough to go in a roasting pan can also go in a grilling basket when the weather is warm!
What makes this recipe so appealing is the fact that each component is interchangeable, which gives us a great combination of options. So, for example, instead of orzo, you can use any small-sized, cooked pasta you have on hand, or, even substitute leftover cooked rice or a grain, like farro or barley. Instead of Feta (my favorite), you can add those delicious and creamy little ciliegine (mozzarella balls). The toasted pine nuts give this dish a nice crunch and a refreshing lemon vinaigrette rounds up everything quite nicely.
This dish stands on its own, but you can also make it as a side dish for a grilled protein if you wish.
(N.B. – This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten).
Vegetables ready to roast
- 1 med. red pepper, cut into 1” pieces
- 1 med. yellow pepper, cut into 1” pieces
- 1 med. red onion, peeled and 1” diced
- 1 sm. Italian eggplant, peeled and cut into ¾” pieces
- ⅓ cup extra virgin good olive oil
- --- few fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 4 med. garlic cloves, minced
- ½ lb. orzo pasta
- Lemon dressing:
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- Toppings:
- 4 med. scallions, minced (white and most green parts)
- ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
- 12 oz. Greek Feta cheese, ½” diced (do not use crumbled Feta)
- --- --- fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Toss the bell peppers, onion, and eggplant with the olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast the vegetables for about 20 minutes, and then toss in the garlic. (Do not add it earlier or it will burn). Roast for about 20 minutes more, or until browned, turning once or twice with a large spatula.
- Meanwhile, cook the orzo in plenty of boiling salted water for about 7 minutes, until tender. Do not over cook. Drain the orzo and transfer to a large serving bowl. When the roasted vegetables are done and while they are still warm, add them to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.
- To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. (It makes more than what you will actually need for this recipe)
- Pour some (but not all of the dressing) on the pasta and vegetables. Let everything come to room temperature, then add the toppings: scallions, pine nuts, Greek Feta, and fresh basil. Gently toss everything to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve at room temperature.
Here are a few more pasta recipes from the blog you might like:
Easy Spaghetti with Lemon-Garlic Shrimp
Zucchini, fresh herb & garlic pasta
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Made the Lemony Orzo Sunday night. Yummy. Might have used too much olive oil for my choice of veggies as they didn’t get very brown before they were done. But still very tasty and I have enough veggies leftover for another dinner!
Also made the Spaghetti with Shrimp tonight. Tasty but a little too plain for us. Didn’t use the Parmesan but maybe should have. Also thought maybe we’d like an additional herb but not sure what would work with the shrimp—Greek oregano???
Great fun at your Saturday night mezze class. Hope to use one of those recipes soon!!
So glad you liked it Susan! Yes, depending on how many vegetables we have, we might need to adjust the amount of olive oil. Also, some vegetables absorb more olive oil than others. For the spaghetti with shrimp, I usually add more pepper flakes and more garlic…. those give the dish a sharper flavor. Typically, no other herb, besides the parsley, is added to this dish. It was great to see you and John at the school on Saturday too!