Belonging to a CSA is an interesting adventure sometimes. During the summer months I always know what pops up in my box and figure out a way to use it. The winter CSA share on the other hand can be a guessing game. For example sometimes you end up with what looks like black rocks (black radishes) or unidentifiable root vegetables.
My new motto is if I can’t identify it I’m going to roast it until tender and crisp and hope it tastes good. Honestly though, I love roasting all sorts of winter vegetables from brussels sprouts to broccoli and cauliflower to winter squash. It’s just so easy to cube, season, drizzle with olive oil and stick in the oven. 45 minutes to an hour later something wonderful is sitting on your plate.
Speaking of wonderful things, that’s how I feel about orzo risotto. I’m a sucker for a good risotto but sometimes I don’t have the energy after a long day to sit at the stove for 30 minutes and stir. Orzo risotto gives you that great creamy texture but cooks up in less time and with less stirring.
I paired it with butternut squash which you guessed was roasted, tender leeks and fresh thyme for a nice pop of color and flavor.
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Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup dried orzo
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1 leek, green parts removed and thinly sliced
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 375 degrees F. Place the butternut squash on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 40-45 minutes or until the squash is tender and just begins to crisp and brown at the edges.
- Fill a medium pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 6 minutes. Drain.
- Place the orzo back in the pot and add the stock. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Stirring occasionally cook the orzo for 15-20 minutes or until the stock has been absorbed.
- In a small sauté pan over medium heat melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add the leeks. Sauté until tender about 5-7 minutes and remove from heat.
- Once all the liquid has been absorbed by the orzo mix in the sautéed leeks, the last tablespoon of butter, thyme and roasted squash. Season with salt and pepper according to your taste.
- Serve immediately.
Holyohmigoodness, yum. This looks amazing. What time should I be over for dinner? 😀
I simply love this dish. It’s gorgeous and the ingredients sound so flavorful. I too have a summer and winter CSA and agree on the mystery element of it however I have learned more about vegetables I have never heard of due to that too!
Thanks Toni. I agree about learning more about vegetables. We’ve been doing it for years and it completely expanded my horizon on veg I would never buy but was forced to eat because it was at home and I didn’t want to waste it.
Roasting is always a good plan. I wish I would have done that more often when we had our CSA. I always struggled with eggplant. We would get it in droves and I don’t really like it, but I think roasting would have made it edible. This looks so delicious, and it’s just what I want to eat this time of year. Pinning!
I hear that on eggplant. I like it in small doses but not week after week. Making eggplant parm, and roasting it were always the best way to get through a lot.
Ooh, I haven’t tried making risotto with orzo – I’ll have to give it a shot!
This sounds great!! I still have squash setting in the basement from last fall so I’m going to have to give this a try! *Pinning*
WANT, WANT, WANT!!! NOW!!! I love that short ingredient list, too. The tri-colored orzo gives it a killer look, too!
Yes, yes, yes. When I come to dinner, please make this for me!
Goodness, this looks incredible! I looove butternut, and orzo… Dang it when is my diet over so I can have rice again!
Sometimes it really is too time consuming to make risotto the traditional way. I love this alternative!
Everything is made better with roasting so it is definitely a worthwhile technique when dealing with new veggies! And yay for orzo risotto! Some days I think I like it better than arborio risotto. It’s just so much easier!
Gorgeous AND delicious!!! I want, want this orzo risotto!!!
What a great autumn/winter dish. I’ve been playing with orzo and risotto lately. This is a great combo. I linked to your post on my blog at http://www.rawinthemiddle.com/link-love-9/
This recipe looks and sounds utter delicious. I’m printing it right now and hope to make it one day soon. Thanks for sharing!
I love roasted vegetables and butternut is one of my favourites. Lately I’ve been roasting veg and throwing it into a bigger dish – with pasta or into a soup. This risotto looks wonderful.
Mmm this has comfort written all over it!
Cool! I have a leek and a butternut squash from my CSA box I need to use!
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I just tried this recipe. It was delicious. We didn’t have any leeks though. But i think that adding pine nuts, bacon and feta cheese would give it more flavour and texture 🙂