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5.0 from 363 votes

30 Minute Brown Butter Goat Cheese Grilled Veggie Orzo

Delicious 30 minute grilled vegetable orzo with rich brown butter and creamy goat cheese. This easy and flavorful veggie orzo recipe is the perfect way to use up fresh summer produce! Enjoy as-is or with your favorite proteins for a wonderful weeknight dinner or lunch.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 450 kcal
Course: Lunch , Dinner
Cuisine: American , Vegan

Ingredients

  • For the grilled veggies:
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, halved or cut into ½” thick strips
  • 1 medium orange bell pepper, halved or cut into ½” thick strips
  • 1 sweet yellow onion, peeled and quartered (or cut into thick slices)
  • 1 medium zucchini, cut into ½” thick rounds or strips
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Freshly ground salt and pepper
  • For the pasta:
  • 8 oz orzo pasta (1 cup dried orzo)
  • ⅓ cup reserved pasta water
  • ¼ cup salted butter
  • ½ cup goat cheese crumbles
  • Optional: 1 (15 ounce) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 8-10 large basil leaves, julienned (about 1/3 cup packed basil)
  • Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. First grill your veggies: preheat grill to 400 degrees. Place veggies in a large bowl, then drizzle them with olive oil, garlic powder and season with salt and pepper.
  2. GRILL BASKET OPTION: Grill veggies in a grill basket for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are tender and slightly charred; be sure to toss them halfway through cooking. Once the veggies are done cooking and have cooled a bit, you can chop them up to your liking. I like to chop the bell peppers, slice the onions and quarter the zucchini slices.
  3. FOIL OPTION FOR GRILLING: Place chopped veggies onto a large piece of foil, then add another large piece of foil on top. Seal the edges by folding a piece of foil together. Use a fork or knife to poke a hole at the top of the foil to allow some steam to escape. Place over direct heat on the preheated grill and grill for approximately 10-15 minutes or until veggies are just fork tender.
  4. While your veggies are grilling you can make your brown butter: add butter to a large saucepan or skillet and place over medium heat. The butter will begin to melt, crackle, and then eventually foam. Make sure you stir constantly during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown and turn a nice golden amber color on the bottom of the saucepan, this usually happens right when it foams. Continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Set aside to cool a bit (keeping butter in the pan but removing pan from heat) while you cook your pasta.
  5. Cook your pasta according to the directions on the package.
  6. Once pasta is done cooking, reserve 1/3 cup pasta water and set aside, then drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the brown butter. Give it a nice stir to coat all the pasta with the brown butter, then immediately add in the goat cheese and reserved pasta water; stir until nice and creamy and the goat cheese has melted. Finally, add in all of the chopped grilled veggies, and generously season with salt and pepper to taste (I like a lot of black pepper!). Finally fold in the fresh julienned basil. Serve immediately. This pasta is excellent served warm or cold.

Notes

  • If you don’t want to grill your veggies, or don’t have a grill: roast the veggies with olive oil on a parchment lined baking sheet at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until veggies are tender.
  • We love serving this with chickpeas, grilled chicken, salmon or shrimp for more protein.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving (based on 4) Calories 450cal (23%) Carbohydrates 50.1g (17%) Protein 14.6g (29%) Fat 22.8g (35%) Saturated Fat 12.4g (62%) Fiber 4.8g (19%) Sugar 3.5g (7%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 450

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving (based on 4)
Calories 450cal 23%
Carbohydrates 50.1g 17%
Protein 14.6g 29%
Fat 22.8g 35%
Saturated Fat 12.4g 62%
Fiber 4.8g 19%
Sugar 3.5g 7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.