Watermelon Roast With Orzo Salad

This recipe even still blows my mind! Something about marinating a whole watermelon, and then roasting and smoking it make it taste absolutely delicious. The sweetness from the watermelon, the spice from the herbs, paired with pesto orzo salad….. is a flavor explosion. Seriously enjoy this one.

No matter what your palette is like, you’ll love this recipe! How weird and awesome all at the same time. I was super intrigued but never followed though making it until now. Let me tell you…..this was well worth the wait! And did I mention I used cassava flour orzo, so this is all gluten free? Yay!

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Serves 3-4

The Goods:

For the Watermelon:

• 1/2 mini watermelon

• 1/4 cup coconut aminos

• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 tbsp worcestershire

• 1 tsp salt

For the Orzo Salad:

• 8 oz cassava flour orzo pasta

• 1 tomato (diced)

• 1/4 cup vegan feta (crumbled)

For the pesto:

• 1 cup packed basil

• 1 cup packed spinach

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1/4 cup blanched almonds

• 1 lemon (squeezed)

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/3 cup water

The Method:

For the Watermelon:

1. First pick out a mini watermelon about the size of a volleyball, maybe even a bit smaller. Cut off both ends, and peel off all the rind of the melon. Slice in half and save the other for a mid day snack, or double the recipe with both halves. Your choice!

2. Combine all watermelon ingredients into a large bowl and mix until smooth. Drop the 1/2 peeled watermelon into the bowl, then with a knife, make 5 tiny slices on the top to allow the marinade to sink into melon. Pour the marinade over the top of the melon. Cover and marinate overnight for best results.

3. The next day, time to roast this baby up! Preheat oven to 350 degrees, place watermelon in oven safe skillet, and cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Then flip over watermelon and cook for 30 more minutes uncovered.

4. When melon has cooked for 60 minutes, turn off oven and keep melon inside oven to stay warm and finish its cooking process until the orzo salad is finished and ready to eat.

For the Pesto:

1. Combine all pesto ingredients into a high powered blender, blend until smooth. Set aside.

For the Orzo Salad:

1. Cook pasta to el dente, strain and drizzle with olive oil. In a separate large bowl add cooked pasta and add 1/2 of pesto sauce (save the other half for yourself later, maybe avocado toast in the morning?)

2. Mix in tomato and feta, and set aside until time to eat.

To Serve:

1. When the watermelon is cooked and cooled off for a couple minutes, place onto center of a large serving plate.

2. Pour pesto orzo salad around the watermelon roast and serve with smiles! Enjoy!

Thanks so much for checking out our recipes! I hope you find something here that satisfies your cravings or encourages you to try something new. Make sure to check back every week to see our new recipes!

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