A Buddha Bowl of tender filling orzo, crispy bacon and sweet bright green peas tossed with lots of fresh herbs and lemon and topped with a sprinkle of tangy feta. Simple and tasty, full of vegetables and sure to please the whole family.

Serves 4.

200g frozen peas

6 slices un-smoked back rashers, visible fat removed

1 large lemon

Handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped

Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Low – calorie cooking spray

350g orzo, white or wholewheat

1 red onion, chopped

½ tsp lazy garlic

Salt and black pepper

200g low fat feta cheese, crumbled

Method

Bring a large pot of water to the boil for the orzo, while the water is heating, pop the frozen peas in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Remove the visible fat from the bacon and chop into bite size pieces, zest and juice the lemon and coarsely chop the parsley and mint.

Add the orzo to the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes.

Spray a large frying pan with the low – calorie cooking spray, add the chopped onion and bacon and cook for 5 minutes until cooked and golden brown. Add the garlic and stir together for 30 seconds, do not let the garlic burn or it will be bitter.

Drain the orzo using a sieve placed over a bowl, reserve 100ml of the orzo cooking water, return the orzo to the pan that you used to cook it in, placed over a medium heat. Add the bacon, onion, peas, lemon zest and juice and some salt and pepper.

Add the pasta water to loosen the mixture, bring back to the boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and mint.

Serve in your favourite dish garnished with the crumbled feta cheese.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Notes: if you prefer you could use shrimp or chicken in place of the bacon, both would work as well.