Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad

Preheat the oven to 400F and line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Toss the vegetables in a large bowl with the olive oil (3 tablespoons) and a generous amount of salt and pepper before spreading them in a single layer across both trays. Roast for 35-40 minutes, swapping the trays around and tossing the vegetables with a spatula halfway so they cook evenly.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo (1/2 cup) in a pan of boiling, salted water until just tender according to package directions. Cooking times vary from brand to brand (some orzo is quite flat and some can be quite rounded and require a longer cooking time). Drain very well and set aside.

When the vegetables are done roasting, remove the garlic cloves from the pans and scrape the rest of the vegetables into a large mixing bowl, getting as much of the cooking juices from the trays into the bowl as possible. Once they’re cool enough to touch, squeeze the roasted garlic from their skins into the bowl with the vegetables.

Add the cooked orzo and mix to combine. Next, stir in the sun-dried tomato pieces (1/4 cup drained and chopped) and red wine vinegar (2 teaspoons). Add more salt if it needs more of a savory note, and pepper if you’d like to give it a bit more depth.

Fold in the roughly chopped basil just before serving. Don’t add the basil if you’re planning for leftovers of this salad. It is still delicious without, and it goes a bit dark and loses flavor after a few days – it also does not taste as good when the salad is reheated. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.