Creamy Orzo

  This afternoon, after our morning run, my mom decided to make creamy orzo for lunch.  This has easily become one of my favorite quick recipes.  My family likes to call it the "Italian Mac N Cheese" because it really is that cheesy, but also has fresh tomatoes to give it that Italian kick.  My family usually uses an orzo recipe that we have from a cookbook, but Giada De Laurentiis has the same recipe online.  My mom and I decided against using peas since she sort of dislikes them, so we were trying to figure out another vegetable to use in lieu of those green, mushy little spheres.  Any suggestions?