Try roasting the tomatoes in advance for this easy slow-roasted tomato zucchini orzo with basil pesto. You can grill the zucchini on a grill pan on the stove.
Orzo is pasta, but with its shape and tiny size, it kind of functions like rice.
In the winter I like to throw it into veggie soups so they are more filling, but in the summer I take a different approach.
I still use orzo to turn a mess of veggies into a meal, but they aren’t in the background.
Those grains act as a unifier, bringing all sorts of ingredients together into a dish that makes somehow makes sense.
I have trouble waiting for tomato season to be official. To improve the flavor of tomatoes that aren’t quite at their prime, I roast them.
It’s no secret that I keep a stash of these roasted cherry tomatoes in my fridge pretty much all year round.
It could be January, and I still buy cherry tomatoes. Yes, they tend to be expensive.
No it’s not very responsible when it comes to food miles, but they are a staple in my diet.
My beloved tomatoes came in handy when this somewhat random idea for slow-roasted tomato zucchini orzo popped into my head.
I recommend roasting the tomatoes in advance, so then the rest of this dish will come together pretty quickly.
While the orzo cooked in a pot on the stove, I grilled the zucchini. I did this zucchini inside on my grill pan, but you could cook it outside on the grill.
It just depends whether you think it’s worth firing up the entire grill.
I diced strips of grilled zucchini and then added them to a bowl with the orzo and tomatoes.
For the sauce and an easy way to add flavor, I folded in a heaping spoonful of pesto, something else that I keep in my fridge at all times.
To stretch the slow-roasted tomato zucchini orzo into another meal, I added it to a bowl of baby greens to create a salad.
PrintTry roasting the tomatoes in advance for this easy slow-roasted tomato zucchini orzo with basil pesto. You can grill the zucchini on a grill pan on the stove.
Great recipe! Ellen and I will look forward to adding this to our healthy living.