pesto, roasted cauliflower & courgette orzo

Simple, vibrant and packed with deeply roasted vegetables, this is the kind of dish that feels effortless but tastes anything but. It’s perfect for a relaxed midweek dinner, yet impressive enough to serve when friends come round at the weekend.

The secret to taking it from good to exceptional? A really good pesto. Homemade is wonderful, but if you’re short on time, choose a fresh, high-quality one — it makes all the difference. Finished with a crack of black pepper and a generous shower of parmesan, it’s full of bold, savoury flavour… though it’s just as delicious served exactly as it is.

Easy, colourful and completely satisfying — this is one you’ll come back to again and again.

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).