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Orzo with Pesto & Roasted Mushrooms

Name: Orzo with Pesto & Roasted Mushrooms
Prep time: 30

(5 votes, average: 4.80 out of 5)

30 min prep

4 servings

Carrot Icon for Number of Ingredients Size

9 ingredients

This terrific dish contains a slew of cancer fighting ingredients, plus it’s super easy and delicious to boot. It marries sweet roasted mushrooms with a sharp lemony kale pesto made with super antioxidant walnuts....

¼ cup olive oil, divided
2 cups quartered cremini mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup chopped kale
¼ cup basil leaves
1 cup orzo ( see Ann’s Tips)
1 cup mozzarella bocconcini [small ball shaped], halved
salt and pepper to taste

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Nutrition Facts

Calories

340 cals

Fat

23 g

Saturated Fat

6 g

Polyunsaturated Fat

4 g

Monounsaturated Fat

12 g

Carbohydrates

24 g

Sugar

2 g

Fiber

2 g

Protein

12 g

Sodium

312 mg

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Place mushrooms on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast about 15 minutes, or until golden brown and tender.
In a blender, combine walnuts, remaining olive oil, lemon juice, kale and basil. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Fill a medium sized pot with water and bring to a boil. Add orzo and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Once cooked, drain and return to pot.
Add pesto, roasted mushrooms and mozzarella to pasta. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Chef Tips

Reserve a cup of the hot pasta water before draining the orzo. Use it a tablespoon at a time as needed to lubricate the orzo and pesto when you toss them together in the pot.

Don’t overcook the pasta. When using white flour pastas it’s important it be al dente, so always cook it 1 minute less than the stated packet time. Why? The softer it gets, the higher it goes up the glycemic index. The Italians were onto something!

Registered Dietitian Approved

All our recipes are created by chefs and reviewed by our oncology-trained staff Registered Dietitian, Kate Ueland, MS, RD, to ensure that each is backed with scientific evidence and meets the standards set by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.