Vegetable Medley Orzo

Nice quick Pasta

Ingredients

Ingredients (sauce)

• Olive oil
• 2.75 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 tsp each salt and pepper or more to taste
• 1, 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes (drain the liquid and use it, do not discard).
• 1 bell pepper diced large, 0.5in pieces or so
• 1 cup orzo pasta
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 8 green onions cut into thirds
• 1 cup broccoli florets

Instructions

1. In med to large pot, bring broth to simmer with garlic and italian seasoning. Drain the tomato juice from the fire roasted tomato can and add to broth. Add salt and pepper plus more to taste
2. In a separate frying pan, get hot with minimal oil and sear tomatoes (without juice) and bell pepper. This is quick, 30 seconds or so, if you have the pan already hot. This will not cook them, just sear. Set aside veggies in bowl for a minute.
3. Add orzo to searing pan and slightly brown, <30 seconds, do not burn though!
4. Add pasta and peas to broth pot and stir.
5. Without stirring, add cauliflower florets on top as well as green onions, tomatoes and bell pepper pieces arranged colorfully. Do not stir!
6. Cover and simmer lightly for 11 minutes.
7. Turn off heat, add broccoli to top (without stirring), cover, and let sit for 10 minutes to finish cooking and steam the broccoli. If you don’t want slightly undercooked broccoli, keep the simmer going for the first 5 minutes of this section.
8. Serve