Mediterranean Orzo with Vegetables

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Cooked pasta

1. 1
   Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water (4¼ cups of water and a heaping teaspoon of salt for every 4 oz of pasta), following the package directions (taste about 2 minutes early), until al dente.

   ⚙ Cooking in salted waterStovePot

   💡The water should taste like a seasoned soup, not like sea water: a heaping teaspoon of salt per liter. Add the salt once the water is boiling.
2. 2
   Drain.

   Colander

To assemble

1. 3
   Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion 3 minutes, until the onion softens.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 4
   Add the garlic and fry about 1 minute.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 5
   Add the red pepper, yellow pepper and zucchini and fry 5–6 minutes.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
4. 6
   Add the cherry tomatoes and oregano and cook 2 minutes, until they soften and release their juices.

   Stove
5. 7
   Add the olives and cook 3 more minutes.

   Stove
6. 8
   Add the drained pasta and the lemon juice, season with salt and black pepper and toss well.
7. 9
   Serve immediately with the basil.