Chef Matt Finarelli's Orzo with Roasted Veg

 Chef Matt puts on great virtual cooking classes that we highly recommend. We've done several, but I think hands down this recipe is our favorite!

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

A fabulous summer pasta salad, this dish will keep for several days.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 ea                  small eggplant – peeled and cut into ½” cubes

1 ea                  red bell pepper – cut into ½” cubes

1 ea                  yellow bell pepper – cut into ½” cubes

½ ea                 red onion, peeled and cut into ½” dice

3 cloves            garlic – minced

⅓ cup               extra virgin olive oil

1½ tsp              kosher salt

½ tsp                freshly ground black pepper

½ lb                 orzo

Dressing:

⅓ cup               freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1 tsp                 kosher salt

½ tsp                freshly ground black pepper

⅓ cup               extra virgin olive oil

Final Assembly:

4 ea                  scallions – sliced

¼ cup               pine nuts – toasted

½ lb                 feta – crumbled by hand

15 leaves          basil – chiffonade

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425° F. Toss eggplant, bell peppers, red onion, and garlic with olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and spread onto a large baking sheet. Roast in oven until browned – about 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Cook orzo in boiling salted water until tender. Drain, toss with a little olive oil, and spread out on a baking sheet to cool.
• While orzo is cooking and vegetables are roasting, make vinaigrette by combining lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. While whisking, slowly add in olive oil to emulsify the vinaigrette. Set aside.
• To assemble salad, combine orzo and roasted vegetables in a large bowl. Add the scallions and pine nuts and toss with about ½ of the vinaigrette. Add the feta and toss again – adding as much vinaigrette as needed to get the flavor you want. Toss with basil and serve.