Recipe: Roasted vegetable orzo

This recipe is filled with a variety of vegetables, which provides you with a great chance to have your Lil' Chef help with the chopping, dicing, and peeling.

Posted 12:45 a.m. Apr 27, 2012 — Updated 12:45 a.m. Apr 27, 2012

Susan Caldwell of Lil' Chef

Teaching kids to eat healthy foods at a young age will help them develop wonderful eating patterns for life.

This recipe is filled with a variety of vegetables, which provides you with a great chance to have your Lil’ Chef help with the chopping, dicing, and peeling.

It also provides you with an excellent opportunity in the evenings to catch up on what’s happened in your child’s life during the day!

Roasted Vegetable Orzo

Ingredients

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta

For the dressing:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:

4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 20 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 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, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

Susan Caldwell is the Raleigh mom of two and owner of Lil' Chef, a cooking studio for kids and teens in North Hills. She offers recipes a few times a month here on Go Ask Mom. Find a recipe here every Friday.

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