The bite of the lemon and the richness of the butter combined with the soft pasta to make this a great summer-time stuffing for round zucchinis. I wanted something lighter than the meat filling I typically make for bell peppers. This is what I came up with last night and it was so incredibly delicious, I had to restrain myself from just eating it by the spoonful all by itself. This will definitely be made again as a side dish or possibly as a main dish just for me. I can hardly wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today.
Lemon Butter Orzo with Red Peppers
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons butter divided
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
- 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
- 5 cloves garlic minced and divided
- 10 large basil leaves thinly sliced, approximately 1/3 cup
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- juice of 1 lemon approximately 2 tablespoons
- 1 cup orzo pasta
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions, bell peppers and 3 cloves of minced garlic until almost tender. The goal is for it to still be a tiny bit crisp. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
- In a small pot, boil water and then cook the orzo. Drain the pasta in a strainer and set aside. Put the pot back on stove and melt 4 tablespoons of butter, add the lemon juice and the last 2 cloves of minced garlic. Let that warm over the stove until it is fragrant.
- Pour the cooked orzo over the sauteed onion and bell pepper. Add the basil and parsley and toss gently to combine. Drizzle with the lemon butter sauce and toss once again to coat thoroughly.
Becki's Whole Life says
For some reason, whenever I make orzo it always goes into a salad. I love this side dish, though with the sauteed veggies and fresh basil. I bet it has a ton of flavor. I'm always looking for some good side dish recipes and since this combines a starch and a veggie it's a two-fer!
The Slow Roasted Italian says
How fun! It sounds delicious too.
esther says
oh yummmm. orzo is a fave for sure. mouth-watering!