Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad

Here we are, one of the first meals I learned how to make myself that I truly loved. It’s been a favorite of mine ever since and I love sharing it. I remember it was one of the first meals I felt really comfortable making and loved how it turned out every time.

Roasted vegetable orzo salad is so simple, but feels and tastes complex at the same time. It’s filling, nutritious and makes for an amazing side dish, lunch or entree.

How to make roasted vegetable orzo salad

Start by roasting the eggplant, peppers and onions in the oven. While the vegetables are roasting, cook the orzo and toast the pine nuts. Once the vegetables have come out of the oven, allow them to cool while you make the dressing. Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and serve! I love how easy yet impressive this recipe is.

Roasted vegetable orzo salad is so simple, but feels and tastes complex at the same time. It’s filling, nutritious and makes for an amazing side dish, lunch or entree. This salad is best served room temperature, so it's great to take for a lunch. I also like to heat it up for a little bit if I’m eating straight out of the fridge (after storing in the fridge overnight, the orzo will have soaked up most of the liquid, so drizzle with extra olive oil).

I hope you all love this roasted vegetable orzo salad and it becomes a new staple in your kitchen!

Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad

• 1 eggplant

• 1 red bell pepper

• 1 yellow bell pepper

• 1/2 onion

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 box of orzo

  For the dressing:

• 1/2 pine nuts

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 1/2 lemons, juiced

  Toppings:

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the bell peppers, eggplants, and onion into 1 inch sized pieces and spread evenly onto a baking sheet. Add the garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix everything around and bake for 40 minutes, flipping one time halfway through.

2. Cook the orzo according to package instructions. Once cooked, toss with a touch of olive oil and set aside.

3. Toast the pine nuts over medium heat in a pan for 3-4 minutes until fragrant. They will burn quickly, so watch them!

4. For the dressing: Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

5. In a large bowl toss the dressing with the orzo, vegetables and pine nuts. Top with feta cheese and basil. Salt and pepper to taste.