Asparagus & Zucchini Lemon Orzo

Two weeks back, my husband came home raving about the lemon salad he had at his work. I was so curious and was asking him to describe the salad. He couldn’t recollect the name of the salad (oh! that would have made it easier for me). He likes to create suspense and confusion and finally I’ll be running around the house in wits end, unclear about the dish and the need to know what it is that very moment. His description was that the salad looked like rice, bigger than rice, had a nutty flavor, looked like pumpkin seed, tasted like small grains and on and on. Seeing me staring at him clueless, he got the salad home the next day. Just as he said the salad tasted awesome and I got to see the name tag and it was Lemon Orzo salad. I had been wanting to make something with orzo for the BM and here it is for my final day of BM#14, whole grain dishes theme. I made this dish with asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers, onions and with some lime juice and it was absolutely delicious. Orzo, is a kind of Italian pasta and cooks and has the same texture as that of regular pasta. My daughter just loved it and was so excited after seeing the colorful dish. My son who doesn’t like pasta/noodles and loves curd rice/idli, surprisingly enjoyed it too.

Ingredients :

Orzo — 16oz/1 lb

Garlic — 4 medium pods (finely chopped)

Onion — 1 (finely chopped)

Zucchini — 1 (finely cubed)

Red bell pepper –1 (finely chopped)

Asparagus — 5

Salt — to taste

Olive oil /cooking oil — 3 Tbsp

Chilli sauce — as needed (optional)

Lemon —1 (juice of 1 lemon/lime)

Coriander Leaves — 2 Tbsp (finely chopped)

Procedure :

1. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to rolling boil, add orzo and cook for 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and pour cold water on top of it to stop the cooking and keep aside.

2. In a large kadai, add olive oil, garlic and fry for a minute. Now add onions and fry till they turn translucent. Add bell peppers, zucchini, asparagus one after another and fry for about 5 mins. Add cooked orzo, salt and mix well.

3. Switch off the flame, add lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves. While serving, drizzle some chilli sauce, if using and Enjoy!!!

Cook orzo in a pot and keep aside. Sautee veggies along with garlic and onion.

Combine orzo and mix well with veggies. Garnish with lemon juice and coriander leaves.

To Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#14 click here.

Thank you for visiting Sizzlingveggies.com. If this is your first time here -- a Warm Welcome. Get ready with your chef hat, apron, and a big SMILE to cook some tasty recipes from around the world. Don't hesitate to join my Facebook Fan Page where I share my passion for cooking, baking, blogging and never ending sizzling recipes.

Share and Enjoy

• 

You might also like: