Orzo with Vegetables and Legumes
A healthy, nourishing, and incredibly flavorful dish that brings together pasta, legumes, and vegetables in one comforting meal. It’s a wonderfully wholesome recipe and a great way to use a variety of beans—even leftovers from the day before
A healthy, nourishing, and incredibly flavorful dish that brings together pasta, legumes, and vegetables in one comforting meal. It’s a wonderfully wholesome recipe and a great way to use a variety of beans—even leftovers from the day before
Info
Prep Time:
30mCook Time:
30mDifficulty Level:
Ingredients
For the Legumes- 1 cup black-eyed peas
- 1 cup medium white beans
- 2 cups Kastoria giant beans (gigantes), or other legumes of your choice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 leek
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 carrots
- 1 zucchini
- ½ celeriac (celery root)
- 1 potato
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 package (about 400 g / 14 oz) chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup thick orzo
- 1 bunch Swiss chard or sorrel, finely chopped
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons tahini
- Juice of ½–1 lemon
Directions
You can use any combination of legumes you like, including leftover cooked beans from the previous day.
Soak the giant beans in plenty of water overnight. Black-eyed peas and white beans do not need to be soaked and can be cooked directly.
Place all the legumes you are using in a large pot and simmer for about 30 minutes, until they are partially tender but still hold their shape.
Drain and set aside.
Finely dice all the vegetables.
Heat half of the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leek, and celery and sauté for 3–4 minutes, until slightly softened.
Add the carrots, zucchini, celeriac, and potato and sauté for another 2–3 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute, stirring it into the bottom of the pot to release its flavor.
Add the cooked legumes and enough hot water to just cover the ingredients. Cover the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the legumes are completely tender.
Add the chopped greens, orzo, and 1 cup of hot water. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the orzo is tender and the mixture becomes thick and creamy.
Toward the end of cooking, drizzle in the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then remove from the heat.
Whisk the tahini with ½ cup cold water and the juice of ½ lemon. The mixture will initially become quite thick—that’s normal.
Gradually whisk in a little hot cooking liquid from the pot to loosen the tahini, then drizzle the sauce over the finished dish.
Recipe Tips
For the best texture, keep an eye on the orzo as it cooks and add a splash of hot water if the mixture becomes too thick before the pasta is fully tender. The orzo will continue to absorb liquid as it stands.
