This colorful vegetable casserole has a striking look but a simple approach. A tian is an assortment of roasted vegetables cooking in a shallow dish, sometimes with cheese or au gratin.
Arranging slices of moisture-rich zucchini, summer squash, and tomatoes over the uncooked orzo and baking the dish all together lets us skip precooking the pasta and streamlines the recipe.
Garlic, shallots, oregano, and pepper flakes add punch to the fresh vegetables, while a topping of broiled Parmesan adds just the right finishing note.
Crisp garlic toasts are a perfect accompaniment to the creamy orzo.
Look for squash, zucchini and tomatoes with similar-size circumferences so that they are easy to shingle into the dish.
VEGETABLE AND ORZO TIAN WITH GARLIC TOASTS
Servings: 4
Start to finish: 1 hour
3 ounces Parmesan cheese
2 shallots
4 garlic cloves
1 cup orzo
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
1 zucchini
1 yellow summer squash
12 ounces plum tomatoes
1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
1 loaf rustic bread
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh basil
Carefully pour broth over top of vegetables. Bake on lower rack until orzo is just tender and most of broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, slice four 3/4-inch-thick slices of bread and spread out evenly over rimmed baking sheet; set aside.
Nutrition information per serving: 506 calories; 134 calories from fat; 15 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 20 mg cholesterol; 875 mg sodium; 75 g carbohydrate; 7 g fiber; 11 g sugar; 19 g protein.
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