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I got this recipe from Martha Stewart's site. My first time making any of her recipes and this one attracted me because I had most of the ingredients lying around my house already.
I am also trying to get my boyfriend to like yellow squash..there's just so much that he doesn't like...mushrooms, eggplant, raisins, etc. It makes cooking really hard when you have a picky eater. On the plus side, I noticed that the more I cook the vegetables he claims to hate, the more he slowly starts to like them.
Since the casserole is mostly orzo pasta with added veggies, I added marinara to the original recipe. Serve this with a slice of garlic bread for a really yummy meal.
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Ingredients
* 1 cup breadcrumbs
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 pound orzo pasta
* 2 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
* 2 small bulbs fennel, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 small red onion, julienned
* 5 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* Marinara sauce and/or Soy Parmesan cheese ( optional )
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Divide butternut squash between two baking sheets, spreading in an even layer. Drizzle each baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to oven and roast until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook for 5 minutes; drain and transfer to bowl with squash.
5. Heat 1 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer fennel to bowl with squash and orzo.
6. Return skillet to medium heat and add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, and 1/4 cup water; let simmer until tomatoes begin to soften, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to bowl with orzo, squash, and fennel. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Transfer orzo mixture to a 3-quart baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with bread crumb mixture. Return baking dish to oven and bake, uncovered, until panko is toasted, about 10 minutes more.
Serve with marinara sauce and soy parmesan cheese if desired.
And now for a very pointless video of Taffy. Just him being himself on his very favorite spot, the hamper! Hope you all enjoy.
P.S. He does nothing in the end haha I still find it entertaining to watch : ]
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 pound orzo pasta
* 2 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
* 2 small bulbs fennel, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 small red onion, julienned
* 5 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* Marinara sauce and/or Soy Parmesan cheese ( optional )
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Divide butternut squash between two baking sheets, spreading in an even layer. Drizzle each baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to oven and roast until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook for 5 minutes; drain and transfer to bowl with squash.
5. Heat 1 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer fennel to bowl with squash and orzo.
6. Return skillet to medium heat and add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, and 1/4 cup water; let simmer until tomatoes begin to soften, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to bowl with orzo, squash, and fennel. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Transfer orzo mixture to a 3-quart baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with bread crumb mixture. Return baking dish to oven and bake, uncovered, until panko is toasted, about 10 minutes more.
Serve with marinara sauce and soy parmesan cheese if desired.
And now for a very pointless video of Taffy. Just him being himself on his very favorite spot, the hamper! Hope you all enjoy.
P.S. He does nothing in the end haha I still find it entertaining to watch : ]
Oh he is a handsome kitty! How cute is it when he has a stare off with the camera. And his little nose sniffing away. Gah
ReplyDeleteCats don't really need to do anything to get my attention. ;) They are magical no matter what they are doing!
Taffy doesn't look like a cat up close. He's some other type of creature (smile), and his eyes are too cute!
ReplyDeleteThe orzo bake sounds awesome too! Orzo is so good. I might try this soon, as I need to do more pasta bakes. Plus, it's the season now...
p.s. thanks for the info on marquis. I can't find them usually either though-weird!
Susan - I know, they can do any little thing and it's still cute. Sadly, can't say the same for humans haha
ReplyDeleteStella - Doesn't he?! He looks like a little Ewok or something. Still can't believe such a cute cat was homeless. I recently discovered orzo and now love it too. I will do more searching for Marquis and let you know if I ever see it in a store.
Now thats a stare :D
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your attempts to win your boyfriend over to the delights of vegetables. Seems like your already on your way.
I've never had orzo baked, so its one I must try.