Roasted Red Pepper Orzo

This creamy one-pot roasted red pepper orzo is the perfect light and delicious lunch or dinner recipe! The creamy sauce is made of roasted peppers, cannellini beans and an entire head of garlic (the best part!) along with silken tofu for extra creaminess. Serve with lots of fresh basil and a squeeze of lemon juice and enjoy! This dish is both dairy-free and nut-free, and can be made even easier by using store-bought roasted red peppers (see notes).

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 3 red bell peppers
• 1 head of garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 cup orzo (gluten-free if needed)
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 can of cannellini beans (400mL, 13.5 fl oz)
• 75g silken tofu
• 1/2 lemon (or 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2-4 tbsp water
• Handful of fresh basil leaves

Equipment

• Lined baking sheet
• Large frying pan or pot
• Blender

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cut 2 bell peppers in half and remove the insides and seeds, then cut off the top of the head of garlic. Add the peppers open-face down and the head of garlic open-face up to a lined baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil into the head of garlic, and 1/2 tbsp on the peppers, rubbing the oil on the peppers with your hands to make sure they’re well covered.
3. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until the peppers are charred and the garlic cloves soft when poked with a fork.
4. While they’re in the oven, we’ll prepare the orzo. Start by dicing or slicing an onion, then add to a frying pan on medium heat with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, stirring frequently.
5. Thinly dice or slice a bell pepper, adding it to the pan with the onions and continuing to stir.
6. Once the peppers have softened, add the dried orzo and vegetable stock, then cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
7. Drain and rinse the can of cannellini beans, setting 1/3 cup aside to blend in the sauce.
8. Add the beans to the pan with the orzo, and taste the orzo to make sure it is cooked through. Keep an eye on it and continue to stir every couple of minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed.
9. Once the peppers and garlic are done, peel the skins off the peppers and remove the roasted cloves from the head of garlic (being careful not to burn yourself when handling them right out of the oven!). To a blender, add the roasted peppers, roasted garlic, silken tofu, 1/3 cup beans, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and 2 tbsp water (adding 1-2 more if needed to blend), blending until smooth and creamy.
10. Pour the sauce into the pan with the orzo, stir and then turn the heat up to medium-high to bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes. Add in some fresh chopped basil leaves and continue to stir every few minutes. Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat.
11. Serve immediately, topping with more fresh basil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Enjoy!

Notes

*For an easier and faster version, use store-bought roasted red peppers in a jar and swap out the head of roasted garlic for a couple of garlic cloves or garlic powder.