What makes this pasta dish a ‘summer’ orzo is its lovely tomato-basil sauce and the colorful mixture of summertime vegetables. I blanched some homegrown cherry tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli and red onions and tossed them into the al dente bowl of rice-shaped pasta, along with some marinara sauce and a grating of cheese. Feel free to leave this as a vegetarian dish at this point, or add in some cubes of tender chicken like I did for a protein-punch.
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Summer Orzo with Tomato-Basil Sauce
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. orzo, cooked to al dente and drained
- 2 cups tomato-basil sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 small yellow squash, cut into rounds
- 1 small zucchini, cut into rounds
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups diced, cooked Rotisserie chicken, or chicken breasts cooked and cut
- Grated cheese, for serving
Directions:
- Heat the tomato-basil sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until warmed through.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add in the broccoli, squash, zucchini and onions and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and toss the veggies with the cooked pasta and the warm tomato sauce.
- Add in the halved cherry tomatoes and chicken, if desired. Toss all together until mixed well; serve the pasta with grated cheese either warm or a room temp.
Tagged: broccoli, cheese, cherry tomatoes, chicken, marinara sauce, orzo, pasta, pecorino cheese, red onion, squash, summer orzo, summertime pasta, tomato-basil sauce, zucchini
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