Saturday, July 9, 2011

Spinach & Orzo Salad

I made this salad to go with barbecue ribs the other day when my family came over for dinner, and it was so yummy! I don't even normally like pasta salads, but this one is really good!


The original recipe made a TON (it filled my large mixing bowl, and even after five people ate it, I still had two big Tupperwares leftover), so I went ahead and halved it. If you're making it for a giant potluck (or as a main dish with chicken or something) you'll want to double what I have written below, but it should make at least 8 servings or so as written.

Recipe adapted from What Megan's Making.

Ingredients:
8 oz (1/2 a package) uncooked orzo pasta
1/2 of a 10oz package spinach leaves, finely chopped
2 oz (1/2 container) crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts (about one bag, from the baking aisle)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
About 1/8 cup olive oil (more or less, depending on how wet/dry it looks)

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orzo for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Transfer the orzo to a large bowl and stir in the spinach, feta, mozzarella, red onion, pine nuts, basil, and pepper. [At this point you could also add in any extras... black olives, cherry tomatoes, grilled chicken, etc.]
3. Add in the balsamic vinegar and stir until mixed.
4. Add in the olive oil and stir.
5. Refrigerate and serve cold.

Ready to mix!

Looking good!

Ta-da!

Yummy! Everybody should try this one out because it's so good! Plus, it looks kinda fancy, especially for a pasta salad. :o)

1 comment:

  1. it looks so good! i'm bookmarking this so i can try it sometime :)

    ReplyDelete