I am always on the lookout for easy recipes that I can throw into the weekly rotation of meals, and this one has a few qualities that make it a keeper: it uses staple ingredients, it scales up and down easily when I’m cooking for others, and it becomes better as it sits in the fridge, so I can snack on it for lunch in the following days.

I found the initial recipe in The New York Times (here) and made a few changes to suit my tastes: I reduced the orzo by half, doubled the feta, significantly increased the garlic and thyme, and added lemon zest and red pepper flakes for more flavor. If you don’t eat dairy, replace the feta with another salty, briny ingredient like capers or castelvetrano olives. You can also skip the red pepper if you’re not into heat at all, but I promise it’s mild with the volume of everything else.

This dish works well as a veggie-rich side with dinner or as a cold salad right out of the refrigerator. I think it’s perfect for dinner on a hot night in the garden served next to a light flaky fish or grilled chicken, as we did for these photos.

Scroll down for the recipe:

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound orzo

• salt and pepper

• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

• 1 medium onion (1.5 c), thinly sliced

• 4 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers (4 c) cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

• 1 c cherry tomatoes, halved

• a few fresh thyme sprigs

• 3-4 cloves minced garlic

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 2 tbsp lemon zest (one large lemon)

• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 c fresh basil leaves, chopped

• 6 oz feta cheese, crumbled

process

1. Cook orzo until al dente according to the package. Reserve 1/4 c of the starchy pasta water and drain the rest, leaving the orzo in the colander to cool.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add onion, bell peppers, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom, about 10 minutes. When everything is soft, stir in minced garlic and cook until fragrant (less than a minute). Then, add tomatoes and cook until they break down — about 8 minutes.

3. Use the reserved pasta water to deglaze the skillet. Give the veggies and water a quick mix to incorporate, and transfer the mixture from the skillet into a mixing bowl. Remove the thyme sprigs and discard.

4. Add cooled orzo, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, feta, and chopped basil leaves to the bowl with the vegetables. Garnish with more basil leaves and feta for a nice plating.