So it’s no secret that I love roasted/blistered tomatoes. I made this recipe as a main course but it can also be a great side dish. The orzo cooks right in the sauce which makes it a simple and minimal clean-up. I used my cast-iron dish skillet for this.
Chop 1 medium onion and add it to your skillet with about 3 Tbs olive oil, add a bit of salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. To this, I added 2 pints of cherry tomatoes, one yellow, one red, and 4 cloves of garlic. Cook until the tomatoes have completely collapsed and add 2 Tbs of sweet balsamic vinegar and 1 Tbs of tomato paste. Stir and let cook for about a minute more then add 2&1/2 C water or stock and bring to a simmer. Add 1&1/4 C orzo and about 1/2 tsp salt stir and turn the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 12 minutes, stir and scrape the bottom of the pan, the pasta will begin to look creamy (if you need to you can add 1/2 C more water or stock) Once orzo is done add some crumbled feta, toasted pine nuts, and chopped basil. I added a pinch of crushed red pepper for a little extra kick!
