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Recipe: Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

I needed to figure out more ways to use radishes than just in a salad.

by Deedra Abboud in Main Dish, Recipe
August 1, 2016 0 comments

My husband decided he wanted to eat at least three radishes every day. When he asked him why, he simply said, “Because they are healthy.”  So I needed to figure out more ways to use radishes than just in a salad. This is the result of a successful experiment:

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients
3 baby red potatoes, sliced thin
3 radishes, sliced thin
1 zucchini, sliced thin
3 baby bell peppers, sliced thin (strips, or rounds)
1 baby red onion, halved, sliced thin (strips)
3-5 baby tomatoes, whole
1 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp grape seed oil (or avocado oil)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp fresh or dried mint
1 cup orzo, rice shaped pasta
Feta cheese (optional, only if serving at room temperature or chilled)

Dressing:
1 lemon, squeezed for juice
1/4 cup grape seed oil (or avocado oil)
1-2 tbsp yogurt (optional)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Toss the zucchini, radish, bell peppers, onion, potatoes, and tomatoes with the oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Spread vegetables with oil onto large sheet pan (I prefer to cover pan with Reynold’s wrap for easy cleanup.) Pour chicken broth over vegetables to cover the bottom of the pan.

Roast 20 minutes. Turn vegetables with a spatula. Roast an additional 10 to 15 minutes until potatoes are soft.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, yogurt, salt, and pepper. Mix dressing with pasta and vegetables.

Serving Options:
Serve immediately, hot
Let cool to room temperature, add feta cheese.
Refrigerate and serve cold, add feta cheese
Tips:
The additional roasting time will depend on how thin the potatoes and radish are sliced (very thin, shorter time; thickness increases time)
Extra virgin olive oil can be substituted for grape seed/avocado oil
Orzo cooked in chicken broth has more flavor than cooked in water
Yogurt can be omitted – 2 tbsp yogurt adds more flavor than 1 tbsp

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