Roasted Vegetable and Lemon Orzo With Baby Spinach

Roasted Vegetable and Lemon Orzo With Baby Spinach
Recipe by Dragon

This is a wonderful vegetarian entrée. It is so delicious and substantial, I guarantee you will not be left feeling deprived. Feel free to get creative and use whatever vegetables you have on hand. The real key to this refreshing pasta is the lemon. Enjoy!

Serve: 6

Ingredients:
1 small eggplant, cut into chunks
1 small zucchini, cut into chunks
1 small red onion, cut into chunks
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
10 cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cup dried orzo
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup sliced green onions, sliced
10 grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups baby spinach
1/4 parsley, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
Zest of 3 lemons
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful of black olives, sliced to garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

2. Combine the eggplant, zucchini, onion, mushrooms, red pepper, garlic, rosemary and thyme in a bowl. Toss with enough olive oil to lightly coat the vegetables. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well and transfer to a foil lined cookie tray. Roast the vegetables for 20-25 minutes, turning after 10 minutes.

3. While the vegetables are roasting, cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and rinse the cooked pasta under cold water to stop the cooking. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, combine reserved orzo, roasted vegetables with green onions, grape tomatoes, baby spinach, parsley, olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Toss gently to mix.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with sliced olives.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

And so, so colorful...wow!

Anonymous said...

that looks very healthy and filling!! i'm so impressed by the wonderful flavours you've brought together. now i just need to go shopping and i can take this with me onto campus - everyone else can watch in envy as i whip out an amazing packed lunch! x

Adam said...

Yeah, talk about an amazing lunch. They should use this dish to test color vision at the eye doctor. It looks beautiful.

Núria said...

I love veggies and I love pasta! This dish is for me ;D

The easy cooking also makes it really attractive... mmmmmm I'm salivating :D

Darius T. Williams said...

I'm loving these flavors...really looks good!

-DTW
www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

maybelle's mom said...

Oh, I love the use of eggplant here.

Vera said...

This is certainly delicious looking, and healthy dish! I love fresh bright colors!

Emily said...

Ohhh, it sounds so healthy and delicious and oh-so lemony.
I thought you put olives in it at first, but I guess it's just eggplant.

Dragon said...

Noble: colourful and yummy. :)

diva: They'll be green with envy. :)

adam: LOL! Thanks.

Nuria: Easy and tasty. Can't get better than that.

Darius: Thank you.

Maybelle's mom: Thanks!

vera: Thanks!

Emily: I did put olives in it but forgot to include it in the ingredient lists. :) Thanks for keeping me on my toes.

Anonymous said...

Looks fantastically healthy!

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful salad! It looks delicious! Love your blog and all of your recipes. I can't wait to try some out :)

I would love to write about your pasta salad on our blog! If you are interested please email me at haley@keyingredient.com

 
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