Simple, flavoursome and packed full of delicious roasted veggies, the perfect dinner to enjoy on a weekday evening or for a meal with friends on the weekend. The trick to make this dish extra special is using a good pesto, either make your own or buy a really good quality/fresh one. We love to top it with a little black pepper and parmesan for extra flavour, but it is equally as delicious on its own.
Serves 4 as a side & takes 35 minutes to cook
Ingredients
3 courgettes, cut in half lengthways and then sliced into half moon shapes
1 cauliflower, cut into florets
1 red onion, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
250g orzo
1 vegetable stock cube, mixed with 500ml boiling water
4 tablespoons of pesto
Juice of 1 lemon
Large handful of spinach
100g plain yoghurt (or use coconut yoghurt if making vegan)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Dash of almond milk, if needed
Parmesan (optional, for serving)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C, fan setting.
2. Place the courgette slices and cauliflower florets into a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Mix well and cook for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables feel soft.
3. While the vegetables cook, place a large pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Once warm, add the diced onion, garlic and a pinch of salt. Mix well and cook for 5-10 minutes until the onion begins to feel soft.
4. Once the onion is soft, add the orzo and cover with the boiling stock water. Leave to cook for 5 minutes, or until the orzo feels cooked and absorbs the water.
5. At this point, mix through the pesto, lemon juice and spinach. Cook for another few minutes, adding a dash of almond milk if the mixture ever needs it.
6. Once the vegetables are cooked, remove from the oven and spoon into the pan. Finally mix through the yoghurt to make the dish extra creamy, taste and season with salt and pepper before serving. Top with parmesan (if using).
