One Pot Orzo with Roasted Butternut Squash

One pot recipes are the best for easy dinners. Serve up this vegetarian one pot orzo with butternut squash for a dinner that everyone will love!

Orzo is one of my favourite pastas. It's so different from all other types of pasta, in this recipe it cooks almost more like risotto rather than a classic pasta dish.

I normally use it in summer dishes like this Greek orzo salad or this summer orzo salad but it's so delicious that I definitely need an excuse to eat it all year round.

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One of my new favourite things to do is to come up with ways to 'vegetarianise' meals that would normally have meat in them.

Whether that's a classic like shepherd's pie or toad in the hole or something like this one pot orzo. When I came across this recipe for skillet chicken and orzo on Bon Appetit the words 'buttery orzo' were enough to convince me I needed to try this recipe.

But, as I've mentioned a couple of times, Will and I are working to eat less meat so I wanted to come up with a veggie version which was still all made in one skillet.

And it turned out to be one of my all time favourite butternut squash recipes!

Why we love this one pot orzo with roasted butternut squash:

Butternut squash is one of the first things I turn to when I want to make a vegetarian dinner. Not only is it filling enough to be the main part of a meal, it's also pretty much peak autumn, which is never a bad thing, right?

My favourite part about this meal is that the squash is cooked in butter, first over a high heat for five minutes until it's starting to get all caramelised around the edges and then roasted for 40 minutes or so.

Doing so means that the squash takes on so much flavour and makes it the perfect thing to use in a vegetarian meal.

One Pot Orzo with Roasted Butternut Squash Ingredients:

• Butternut Squash
• Butter - Extra can be used in these lime and mint roast chicken sandwiches
• Salt and Pepper
• Leeks
• Garlic
• Thyme Sprigs
• Orzo - Try using in this creamy chicken orzo one pot too!
• White Wine - Use up leftover in these creamy mushrooms with mascarpone polenta...or just drink it!
• Vegetable Stock
• Parmesan Cheese

Keep scrolling to get the full recipe for the one pot orzo with roasted butternut squash...

Once the butternut squash has finished roasting the rest of the recipe is made on the hob.

Leeks, garlic and thyme are cooked gently in butter before the orzo is added to the skillet and cooked with vegetable stock added a little at a time until it's all soaked up.

Then it's just a case of piling all the butternut squash on top and sprinkling with loads of parmesan. And I mean loads of parmesan.

Related: If you want more one pot recipes then try out this sausage gnocchi with creamy tomato sauce!

One Pot Orzo with Roasted Butternut Squash Instructions:

1. Heat the oven and add butter to a skillet over a medium-high heat. Caramelise the butternut squash with salt and pepper for 5 minutes then put in the oven and cook for 40 minutes.
2. Scoop out the butternut squash and put the skillet back on the heat. Add more butter and cook the leek, garlic and thyme with more salt and pepper.
3. Add the orzo and toast for a couple of minutes then add the wine followed by the stock, a little at a time, until the orzo is cooked. Add the squash back to the skillet and serve with parmesan.

Keep scrolling to get the full printable recipe...

Do I need to peel butternut squash before roasting?

The skin on butternut squash is tough so is better removed before roasting which you can easily do with a vegetable peeler. If it's difficult to remove you can put the squash in the microwave for a minute to help soften it. 

Want more? Try these other butternut squash recipes!

• Butternut Squash Black Bean Turkey Chilli
• Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus
• Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Goat's Cheese
• Roasted Butternut & Pancetta Risotto with Sage Oil
• Four Cheese Butternut Squash Lasagne with Spinach

Recipe

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