Grilled Vegetable Orzo with Smashed Feta Vinaigrette
User Reviews
5
Grilled Vegetable Orzo with Smashed Feta Vinaigrette
Description
This dish starts by bringing salted water to a boil and cooking orzo pasta to al dente. Vegetables—including shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, green onions, and zucchini—are cut into bite-sized pieces and grilled until nicely charred. Olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and a splash of balsamic vinegar can be used for seasoning the vegetables prior to grilling.
The smashed feta vinaigrette is prepared by combining crumbled feta cheese with red wine vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, fresh dill and chives, honey, salt, black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. This dressing offers a creamy, tangy, and herbaceous contrast to the smoky grilled vegetables and the mild orzo.
Once the grilled vegetables and vinaigrette are ready, they are mixed together with the orzo while still warm, allowing the flavors to meld cohesively. The final dish can be served warm or at room temperature, suitable as a fulfilling vegetarian main course or as a side. Fresh herbs sprinkled on top provide a fresh finish.
Ingredients
- 1 pound orzo pasta
- 12 ounces shiitake mushrooms
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 2 bell peppers chopped
- 4 green onions
- 1 zucchini cut into rounds or spears, medium
- olive oil for drizzling
- balsamic vinegar for drizzling
- salt for sprinkling
- black pepper
- garlic powder
- feta cheese crumbled, for serving
- herbs like dill and chives, for serving, fresh
smashed feta vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons dill fresh, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chives fresh, chopped
- 2 teaspoons honey
- salt
- black pepper
- ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Note: there is no wrong way to do the vegetables here! Cut them as you wish (at least large enough so they don’t fall through grates/grill pan), use the vegetables you wish - whatever you love most!
- Preheat the grill to high. Make the dressing first and set it aside.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orzo according to the package directions - usually around 8 minutes for al dente. If the orzo is finished before everything else is, toss with a spoonful of olive oil so the pasta doesn’t stick together. Grill the vegetables while the water boils and orzo cooks.
- I find that I need 2 grill baskets/trays here to do all the vegetables. You can of course put vegetables right on the grill too - especially things like large pieces of bell peppers, asparagus, zucchini rounds or spears, etc. Toss the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If desired, you can also toss with 1 to 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
- If the mushrooms are sliced, I put them on a sheet of foil. (if they are whole, you can place them directly on the grill or grill plate.) Drizzle the mushrooms with olive oil and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. You can add cracked black pepper and garlic powder too. Wait to salt until the mushrooms cook.
- Place the vegetables on the grill. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes total, tossing and turning some of the vegetables every few minutes. The length of time will depend on how small you cut your vegetables, so keep an eye on them. I check every 5 minutes or so.
- Once the vegetables are done, toss them in a large bowl with the orzo. Pout the feta vinaigrette on top and toss. You can add in extra feta, fresh dill or chives if you wish. Either serve immediately, or store in the fridge until you serve. You can make this 24 hours ahead of time. Leftovers are great!
smashed feta vinaigrette
- In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, pepper, herbs and feta. Use a spoon or whisk to smash some of the feta into the mixture. Whisk the olive oil into the dressing until combined. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge. It will separate but whisking or shaking will bring it back together.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
You'll Also Love
