Orzo with Garlic Parmesan Tomatoes

I wanted a side that was a "starch", but was in the mood for something new, so here's another experiment I did this week…

I love playing with Orzo, its pasta & can be treated like either Pasta or Rice in its use, which makes it a wonderful ingredient… I'd also recently purchased quite a bit of Grape/Cherry tomatoes (on sale of course) & was looking for something to do with them…  I typically keep a good quality Parmesan around, and of course I keep Garlic on hand… so I started to play!!

I decided I wanted to roast the Tomatoes, so I set the oven to 450F & made a tray out of foil (easy cleanup & so things don't stick) and put it on a cookie sheet for easy transfer in/out of the oven…

Then I halved my little Tomatoes & put them in my tray, putting a little minced Garlic on each, and grinding a little Sea Salt on them…

I grated some Parmesan on top (I should have grated then placed, lots of waste, but this was an experiment & I learned something…).  As soon as the oven was up to temp I baked these for 10 minutes & Wow it made the house smell wonderful!!

Meanwhile I cooked the Orzo until it was a nice texture, drained, added a teaspoon of good Olive Oil & sprinkled in some spicing (I used Sunny Paris) that would go well with the tomatoes…

Then I added my baked tomatoes to the pot & mixed them in… I love the way the colors work…

Here's the final product on the plate… and yes, it was a very yummy success!!