• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Little Chef Big Appetite

Small in Stature. Mighty in Appetite.

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
    • Tips & Tricks
    • Wedding
    • Home
    • Loving Lately
    • Life
  • Travel
  • Favorites
    • Amazon Shop
    • Product Reviews
    • Discount Codes

Whole Wheat Orzo with Blistered Tomatoes and Mint

February 28, 2018 5 Comments

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

I love this Whole Wheat Orzo with Blistered Tomatoes and Mint recipe so much that I’ve made it three times in the last 2 weeks! It’s the perfect make-ahead recipe that you can prepare in advance and eat throughout the week for lunch or dinner.

Whole Wheat Orzo with Blistered Tomatoes and Mint Recipe ll www.littlechefbigappetite.com

We ate a good amount of orzo throughout our honeymoon in Greece last September, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I realized that I never make it at home. If you’ve never had orzo before, it’s a type of pasta that is shaped like a grain of rice. Because of its small size and pasta-like texture, it is extremely versatile and you can use it as rice or pasta.

Traditional orzo recipes use white flour orzo, however for this recipe I used a whole wheat orzo to boost the protein and fiber of the dish. If you can find whole wheat orzo, use it. I promise you won’t be able to taste the difference.

Whole Wheat Orzo with Blistered Tomatoes and Mint Recipe ll www.littlechefbigappetite.com

The blistered tomatoes, pecorino romano and mint pack a lot of flavor into this recipe, and I would not recommend leaving any of them out. I listed the caramelized onions as optional because they do take 30-40 minutes of extra time, but if you happen to have some on hand or really want to take the recipe up a notch, include them. They really enhance the flavor of the whole dish.

Whole Wheat Orzo with Blistered Tomatoes and Mint Recipe ll www.littlechefbigappetite.com

This recipe is hearty and incredibly delicious on its own, but if you’d like to add some protein to it, I’d suggest a piece of pan-seared white fish, such as halibut, or grilled chicken breast with a squeeze of lemon.

 

Print
Whole Wheat Orzo with Blistered Tomatoes and Mint
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 

This Whole Wheat Orzo with Blistered Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions, and Mint recipe is healthy and delicious! It's the perfect make-ahead recipe that you can prepare in advance and eat throughout the week for lunch or dinner. 

Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: caramelized onions, mint, orzo, tomatoes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
Ingredients
  • 1/2 lb. whole wheat orzo
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano
  • 1/8 cup + 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 medium lemon, zested + juice reserved
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
  • 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt + more to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper + more to taste
  • 1/2 cup caramelized onions, optional*
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orzo according to the package instructions so it is al dente. Drain the water and put the orzo back in the pot. Add the pecorino romano to the orzo and stir lightly to combine. Cover the pot and set aside.
  2. While the orzo is cooking, bring a small skillet to medium heat and add 1 Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil to the pan. Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and stir regularly for about 5 minutes, until the tomatoes are lightly brown and blistered. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes to the pot with the orzo.
  3. Return the small skillet to medium heat and add the 1/8 cup of olive oil, juice of lemon, zest of lemon and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring about every minute so that the garlic doesn't burn. Add the fresh herbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper to the sauce. Add the lemon sauce to the pot of orzo. Add the caramelized onions (if using), and stir everything to combine. Serve warm.
Notes

*The caramelized onions are optional if you're short for time, but I highly recommend adding them. To caramelize an onion, slice it in half once and then slice the halves into very thin half-moons. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to the low and continue to cook for 30-35 minutes until the onions have significantly reduced in size and are brown and caramelized, adding more olive oil to the pan if needed.

 

Pin this recipe for later:

Whole Wheat Orzo with Blistered Tomatoes and Caramelized Onions Recipe ll www.littlechefbigappetite.com

 

You may also like…

Cod with Cherry Tomatoes and Kalamata OlivesFish with Tomatoes and Olives

Farro Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Summer Farro Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Mozarella, and Fresh Basil ll A healthy and filling vegetarian salad that's perfect for meal prep and potlucks! ll www.littlechefbigappetite.com

Healthy Spring Salad with Lemon VinaigretteHealthy Spring Salad with Homemade Lemon Vinaigrette. A light and refreshing recipe for spring and summer! ll www.littlechefbigappetite.com

 

Filed Under: Side Dishes, Vegetarian Meals Tagged With: Lemon, Mint, onions, orzo, pecorino romano, tomatoes, Whole Wheat

Previous Post: « A Tour of Our NYC Apartment: Dining Area + Living Room
Next Post: Farro Salad with Apples, Almonds and Mozzarella »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Harriet

    February 28, 2018 at 7:04 am

    This sounds delicious. I’m definitely going to try it!

    Reply
    • Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)

      February 28, 2018 at 8:04 am

      Oh good, I hope you love it!

      Reply
  2. Liz

    February 28, 2018 at 5:38 pm

    You totally had me at blistered tomatoes! Definitely keeping this salad in mind for the future!

    Reply
    • Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)

      March 1, 2018 at 6:09 am

      They’re SO good in this dish!

      Reply
  3. Tasmin

    March 6, 2018 at 3:23 pm

    Thanks so much for the post.Really thank you! Great.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

I’m Rachel, Welcome to my blog!


Little Chef Big Appetite features my own healthy recipes as well as tidbits from my daily life in NYC. I may be pint-sized, but I come with one heck of an appetite and I hope you do too!

Find Me:

LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK!

SUBSCRIBE to the Newsletter!

Footer

Let’s Be Instagram Friends!

Instagram did not return a 200.

Follow Me!

About Me

Little Chef Big Appetite features my own healthy recipes as well as tidbits from my daily life in NYC. I may be pint-sized, but I come with one heck of an appetite and I hope you do too!

Disclaimer and Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 ·

MENU
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Rachel
  • Lifestyle
    • Tips and Tricks
    • Loving Lately
    • Home
    • Wedding
    • Life
  • Favorites
    • Amazon Store
    • Product Reviews
    • Discount Codes
  • Travel