The Ultimate Leftovers Meal

Is it possible that I created both the most colorful and ugliest looking meal ever made? Perhaps. I had a meal lined up for the blog that I was going to post last night. After having a very good, homestyle eggplant parmy kind of dish a few months ago with friends, I set out to recreate what I thought the recipe might be. Let's just say it didn't go so well. (And it was DEFINITELY very ugly. I won't post the photos!) For dinner tonight, though, I aimed to get rid of my produce on the verge of turning and also reuse my ugly eggplant dinner. Inspired by Deb, I made a version of baked orzo with - you guessed it! - ugly eggplant, dark green kale, peas, plum tomatoes, deformed red pepper, carrots, onions, and garlic. I sauteed the chopped onion, minced garlic, and carrots, added my half-used red pepper, into the olive oiled giant saute pan. Then the rest of the veggies went in, along with a big squirt (real scientific, I know) of tubed tomato paste, a large pinch of oregano, a cup of shredded mozz cheese, and salt and pepper. Off went the heat, in went the 8 oz orzo and 1.5 c water. Covered and in the oven. And out came this baby: