A creamy, delicious, decadent pasta that sneaks in a ton of veggies! What more could you ask for? I love making this when I’m feeling ~ fancy ~ but I still want a filling meal with protein and veggies.
Ingredients
- 1 c orzo chickpea pasta
- 2 c veggie broth
- 1 bundle of asparagus, chopped
- 2 large zucchini, grated
- Garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil (or regular extra virgin olive oil if you don’t have time to pre-make the garlic infused kind)
- 1 c cherry tomatoes
- Salt, black pepper and minced garlic, to taste
- Optional: vegan parmesan, goat cheese or your favorite cheese
- Optional: caramelized onion
- Toppings: coarse sea salt and arugula sprouts
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.
- In a deep frying pan, cook the orzo in vegetable broth instead of water for added flavor.
- While the orzo is cooking, wash and chop the asparagus. Toss in garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 15-20 min or until crispy.
- Next, grate two large zucchinis. I like using my food processor to speed things up, but if you don’t have one you can use a box grater.
- Once the orzo has absorbed most of the vegetable broth, creating a fluffy, noodle consistency, add the grated garlic to the saucepan and mix well.
- Season with salt, pepper and minced garlic to taste, stir well.
- Just before removing from the stovetop, toss in the roasted asparagus and cherry tomatoes and give the mixture one more stir.
- Remove from heat and place in serving bowls.
- Optional – add in your favorite cheese. Billy loves goat cheese in this meal and I love it with vegan parmesan.
- Optional – add in caramelized onion. Full disclosure, I would put this in any dish (kind of like garlic), so if you’re an onion enthusiast like me definitely add it in.
- Top with arugula sprouts and coarse sea salt. Enjoy!
Pro tip! Elevate this meal (and, let’s be honest, any meal) with garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil. It’s superrrr easy to make AND you’ll have fresh roasted garlic on hand for recipes too! A win-win if I’ve ever heard one. Just be sure to prep this ahead of time – it takes a few hours. I like to always have roasted garlic and garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil on hand to add a punch of flavor to my meals.
Here’s how to make Roasted Garlic and Garlic-Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil! You can thank me later.
