roasted vegetable orzo w/ lemon bail dressing

ingredients:

orzo and vegetables:

2/3 cup of dry orzo pasta

1 tbsp of olive oil or non-stick spray

1 red pepper, chopped

1 orange pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1/2 large red onion, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

lemon basil dressing:

2 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tbsp of fresh basil

1/4 tsp of black pepper

1/2 tsp of sea salt

supplies:

sauce or stock pot

fine mesh strainer

sheet pan and aluminum foil

2 mixing bowls

directions:

preheat your oven to 425. fill your sauce or stock pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. once boiling, add the orzo and a generous amount of sea salt. cook for 9-10 minutes, then drain through a fine mesh strainer.

while the water boils/orzo cooks, roast the vegetables. arrange them on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with non-stick spray, or toss the vegetables in a little olive oil before laying out on the sheet pan. season with salt and pepper, to taste. roast in the pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes, until the vegetables have reached your desired charred-ness.

to make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. to serve the orzo, mix the cooked orzo and roasted vegetables in a bowl. pour some of the dressing over and mix - you may not need all the dressing so pour in 1 tbsp at a time. serve warm. enjoy!

note: you can use whatever vegetables you would like in this recipe. to make the arugula salad in the picture, mix arugula with the remaining lemon basil dressing and top with shaved parmesan cheese.