Autumn Orzo with Squash, Leek & Chard

Published by

Jasmine

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I love orzo for a convenient (one-pot or almost one-pot!) weeknight dinner option and today I thought I’d make a seasonal twist on it for autumn, featuring some of my favourite vegetables around this time of year…

INGREDIENTS

Orzo base:

Garlic

Red onion

Orzo pasta

Butter and olive oil

Parmigiano Reggiano (or any Italian-style hard cheese)

Chilli flakes

Vegetable stock cube

Vegetables & beans:

Squash

Cherry tomatoes (or baby plum)

Chard (spinach or kale would also work)

Leek

White beans (I used cannellini)

Topping:

Mixed seeds (mine include pumpkin, sesame and sunflower – any of these or any combination of them works great)

TIPS & NOTES

Personally, I like to roast the squash for this recipe, and often I will roast a whole squash, use half of it for a recipe, then keep the other half in the fridge to use later for a weeknight meal like this. However, you could also use canned pumpkin or steam, boil or microwave the squash for faster cooking.

Autumn Orzo with Squash, Leek & Chard

  • Servings: 2-3
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

A simple seasonal orzo with autumn flavours

No special equipment or advance prep needed


Ingredients

  • 1/2 a small squash (c. 250-300g, excluding the skin)
  • 1 leek (sliced into rounds)
  • 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped, minced or grated)
  • 1 small red onion (finely diced)
  • 125g of cherry tomatoes
  • 125g (c. 3 leaves) of chard (stems sliced, leaves roughly chopped)
  • 1/2 a 400g can of white beans (c. 125g) (drained and rinsed)
  • A vegetable stock cube
  • 20g of Italian hard cheese (finely grated)
  • 7g of mixed seeds
  • 1/2 a tsp of chilli flakes
  • A knob of butter
  • A drizzle or two of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 160C
  2. De-seed the squash and pierce around 10 times on each side, add it to an oven dish, drizzle the inside with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 25 mins
  3. After giving the squash a 15-minute head start, put a lidded, wide-based pan oven a medium heat, add the butter and olive oil, allow to melt and then sauté the red onion and garlic with salt, pepper and the chilli flakes for a couple of minutes until fragrant
  4. Add the chard stems, leek and tomatoes and sauté for a further 7 mins
  5. Boil the kettle and prepare the vegetable stock using the cube and 350ml of boiling water
  6. Toast the orzo with everything else for a couple of minutes before adding the vegetable stock – cover and bring everything to the boil before lowering to a simmer and stirring occasionally (for around 10-15 mins)
  7. Once the squash is soft and cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before scooping out the flesh and adding it to the orzo – gently break it apart with your cooking spoon and squash the tomatoes carefully so they burst and melt in
  8. In a separate smaller frying pan, gently toast the mixed seeds on a low heat for 5-7 mins until fragrant
  9. Check the orzo has cooked and add a further 50-100ml of water if needed, before adding the beans and chard leaves and covering to cook for a further couple of minutes
  10. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese, allowing it to melt in the residual heat
  11. Serve the orzo topped with the toasted seeds

Let me know if you try this autumn-themed orzo!

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