The past 12 days have been really rough and I’ve been doing all I can to stay focused, calm and levelheaded. For me, this means sticking to routine (when possible), tackling items on my to-do list at work and keeping busy in the kitchen. It’s been hard, but I’m getting along.
Needless to say, culinary inspiration hasn’t come easy lately. So when my mom put in a request for orzo pasta salad over the weekend, I was happy to oblige. Using only ingredients from the fridge and pantry, I dreamed up this colorful side dish.
Dressed with a simple honey-balsamic vinaigrette and dotted with dried fruit, my roasted vegetable orzo pasta salad is part savory and part sweet. It’s delicious as is or piled atop a bed of lettuce, and travels well to the office or a picnic.
- 10 sweet mini peppers
- ½ red onion, cut into 1" pieces
- 1½ cups diced kabocha squash
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes
- 8 ounces orzo
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sweet hot mustard
- 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 3 tablespoons golden raisins
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut mini peppers in half lengthwise and place on one side of a baking sheet. Place onion and kabocha squash on the other side of the baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt, pepper and chili flakes, if using; toss to coat. Arrange vegetables in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes. Remove peppers from the oven. Bake the onion and kabocha squash for an additional 8 minutes and then remove from the oven.
- When cool enough to handle, slice roasted peppers in half lengthwise and then crosswise into ¼"-thick pieces. Roughly chop roasted onion.
- Cook orzo according to package directions until al dente. Drain.
- In a large bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil; whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add roasted vegetables, orzo, dried cranberries and golden raisins and toss gently to combine. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Looks delicious!
Thank you, Kat!