Warm Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Roasted Veggies

This salad won’t take you more than 30 minutes to make. It’s very simple, yet delicious and nutritious. All you need is a couple veggies and orzo! You can definitely modify by adding more of less spices and vegetables. I would say though, don’t skip sautéing your orzo and letting it get this golden color! You can eat this warm or cold!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup orzo
- 1 medium size zucchini
- 1 medium size Japanese eggplant
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 medium size onion
- 1 or 2 plum tomatoes (you can add any tomatoes honestly)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
for the dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Directions:
- Preheat your oven at 450 degrees
- Cut your zucchini, eggplant, celery and tomato in small cubes (about 1/4 inch thick) and slice your onion lengthwise after removing the stems and peeling it
- Sprinkle your vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper and give them a little mix
- Place them in the oven and roast them about about 20 minutes
- Remove when you see them golden and soft (sometimes the eggplant might need a little more time depending on your oven)
- Let aside to cool down
for the dressing
- add olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and spices in a jar and shake really well
for the orzo
- In a pan add a little olive oil (about a tbsp)
- Saute your orzo for 2 or 3 minutes of medium high heat, mixing around until it gets a nice golden, brownish color
- Add the minced garlic and mix
- Add two and a half cups of water and continue mixing for about 7, 8 minutes on medium heat until the orzo absorbs all of the water.
- Let stand for a minute
- Mix your roasted vegetables and orzo in a bowl, pour in the dressing and mix well
Enjoy!

Lots of flavor here!