Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables is the perfect side dish or vegetarian main. Tons of sweet, caramelized vegetables mixed with orzo and a sweet roasted garlic dressing. This orzo salad can be served warm or at room temperature and is perfect to take to a potluck or picnic!
Pasta on Thanksgiving?! OKAY.
I wanted to do a vegetarian main dish this year for any of you out there not into turkey, and a simple, but delicious pasta dish seemed just right.
I know a lot of people will do a vegetarian lasagna or something, but I actually like that this is a little lighter. It still leaves room for all the good stuff (aka side dishes) and can actually BE a side dish if you want it to!
There are so many reasons this is basically the perfect - if not slightly untraditional - Thanksgiving dish:
- So many vegetables! Use whatever you love, but I definitely suggest more "fall-like" vegetables for this one. Squash, eggplant, mushrooms maybe? You want to roast them until they're super caramelized so you need something that will hold up.
- Roasted garlic dressing. OMG. Roast up an entire head of garlic with those vegetables, and then you'll use that garlic to make a quick dressing with apple cider and mustard. It's SO good.
- It's actually vegan! I meant to add cheese to this, but kind of forgot (surprising, I know) and loved it. Feel free to add some parmesan, feta or goat here because it will be delicious. But if not, you've got a great vegan dish for your loved ones.
- Make ahead! YES. This dish gets better as it sits, so I don't just suggest you make it ahead, I actually insist. Make it the day before, or even a few days! You can warm it up before you serve, or even serve at room temperature.
I hope you guys love this one. It's super simple, but might just be your favorite dish on the table!
Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Global
Description
Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables is the perfect side dish or vegetarian main. Tons of sweet, caramelized vegetables mixed with orzo and a sweet roasted garlic dressing. This orzo salad can be served warm or at room temperature and is perfect to take to a potluck or picnic!
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant, diced
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
- 2 zucchini, diced
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 head of garlic
- ½ cup + 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups dry orzo
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups baby kale or spinach, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Combine 1 large eggplant, 1 medium butternut squash, 2 medium zucchini and 1 small red onion in a large bowl. Note: It doesn't matter how much of each you have, but you want about 6 cups of diced vegetables. Add ¼ cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss to combine.
- Cut the top off garlic bulb, drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil and wrap in foil.
- Spread vegetables out on two baking sheets (add garlic to one!) and roast for 30-40 minutes, tossing once halfway through. You want the vegetables to be browned and caramelized, and garlic to be soft when you press on a clove. Set aside until ready to use.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add lots of salt and 1 ½ cups dry orzo and cook according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain.
- Squeeze all the garlic out of the skins and lightly mash. Add 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons apple cider, 1 teaspoon black pepper, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine, adding a tablespoon or two of pasta water if needed to help smooth dressing out. Slowly whisk in remaining ¼ cup olive oil and combine until you have a dressing.
- Add vegetables and orzo to dressing and toss to combine.
- Add 2 cups baby spinach and toss again. If the pasta looks a little dry, use some of the reserved pasta water to thin things out.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- I love using fall/winter vegetables for this dish, like butternut squash, but really any kind of vegetable will work. Try bell peppers, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, green beans or anything else! You want vegetables that will caramelize well in the oven, but otherwise it's pretty flexible!
- This orzo salad keeps well in the fridge for days. I like to bring it to room temp or warm it up before eating, but you could eat this cold too.
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