If you’ve been on the hunt for that perfect spring dish that has plenty of fresh veggies in it, tastes amazing and fills you up, we’ve got just the thing for you with this recipe. This lemon garlic orzo with roasted veggies is lip-smacking good and is packed with tons of flavor and nutrients. Obviously lemon and garlic are two of the primary flavors here, which complement and highlight all the other fresh ingredients – mushrooms, bell peppers, asparagus, zucchini and tomatoes – along with toasted pine nuts for crunch, and crumbled feta for a bit of tang. This is just so yummy!
First and foremost, this is a dish comprised mostly of roasted veggies. You can add or subtract any vegetables you like, but we found our perfect balance to include all the ones we mentioned above. We like a nice mix of color when it comes to our produce, so we made sure to include red tomatoes and peppers, yellow peppers and green zucchini (red onion or shallot would also be nice here), and then we coated them in olive oil and popped ‘em in our 425º F oven. Keep an eye on them once they go in, but we like a higher temperature to ensure they brown nicely and get a little char to them. Remember: more browned = more flavor. Each oven is different though, so check in after the 20-minute mark and rotate the pans or turn over the veggies as needed.
While your fresh ingredients are roasting, you’ll cook the orzo (an ingredient that looks like rice, but is technically a pasta) and whisk together your seasoned lemon dressing that ties everything together. While you could use a store-bought dressing here, we love to make our own since they’re so simple to throw together and have such a big impact on the finished dish. Plus, all it takes is olive oil, lemon juice and Italian seasoning and, once it’s drizzled over the orzo and veggies, you’ve got yourself a spring dinner that never ceases to impress. Trust us, you’ll make this again and again!
Please continue to Next Page (>) for the full list of ingredients and complete cooking instructions.