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One-Pot Summer Vegetable Orzo Pasta Bake

This one-pot orzo baked dish uses fresh summer vegetables that can be replaced with frozen versions in the off season. Its a great way to use up summer scraps to make a one-pot weeknight dinner that will feed the whole family without any extra work or side dishes.

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 red bell pepper or 4 sweet peppers chopped
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 zucchini chopped
  • 1 yellow squash
  • 2 cups chopped spinach
  • ½ pint cherry tomatoes halved or 1 cup chopped tomato
  • 1 10 oz bag frozen broccoli cuts or 3 cups fresh broccoli
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 lb dry orzo pasta
  • 32 oz box chicken stock -or 4 cups
  • 1 lb cooked meat ground beef, ground turkey or shredded chicken or leftover turkey
  • 1 bag frozen peas
  • 2 cups shredded cheese*
  • ½ c roasted red pepper slices
  • ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of a dutch oven.
  • Finely chop an onion and stir it into the pot.
  • Add peppers to the pot. (add more olive oil if needed)
  • Stir together and cook until onions are translucent.
  • Chop or dice zucchini and squash, and add to stock pot.
  • Cut tomatoes in half and hold them in a bowl.
  • Chop spinach or measure out if frozen, set in bowl with tomatoes.
  • Once vegetables are browning in a dutch oven, make a hole in the middle and add minced garlic.
  • Allow to brown for a minute and stir into vegetables.
  • Add tomatoes, chopped spinach, and frozen broccoli.
  • Stir together all vegetables.
  • Add seasonings and stir.
  • Add orzo to the pot and pour in the chicken stock.
  • Stir together to mix vegetables, orzo, and seasonings.
  • Bring the dutch oven to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to medium and cover, cooking for 5 minutes.
  • Remove lid and add cooked meat, frozen peas, cheese, and any other add-ins.
  • Stir together everything to incorporate.
  • Cook the mixture in a dutch oven at 400 for 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile set table and get drinks ready for dinner because your whole meal is in one pot!

Notes

Notes:
-Replace seasonings with a Grillmates garlic herb seasoning packet
*Cheese options- fat free cheddar or mozzarella, Velveeta shreds, Gouda, gruyere, mix fiesta blend with feta and parmesan.
-Adding green chilies or chopped jalapeños would add great spice and use pepper jack cheese
-other pasta could be used instead of orzo, like penne or rotini noodles