Happy Friday! The weekend is finally here and in just a few days Stephen and I are headed to Italy (I’ve never been, so basically I’m crazy excited) I plan on eating a TON of pasta there (because, duh, ITALY!) and so I’ve decided to start my carbo-loading early with this spinach and orzo pasta salad!
Besides being oh so colorful, as well as delicious, this is actually a dish with some serious staying power. And with the added veggies, this is a one-pot meal that is truly good for you AND easy to make (two of my favorite things).
To make it, simply boil the orzo (about 10 minutes), place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes (if you want to serve it cold) then chop of some spinach, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts and olives then drizzle the whole thing with a bit of lemon and olive oil. It really doesn’t get easier than this.
Now go and have a wonderful weekend!
- 1.5 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 quarts water
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbs. olives, halved
- Dressing
- The juice of one lemon
- 1 clove of garlic
- 3 tbs. olive oil
- ½ tsp. salt
- In a medium-sized pot, place the water over a high heat and bring to a rolling boil.
- Add the salt and the orzo and gently stir to prevent sticking.
- Cook according to package instructions (I left mine a bit on the al dente side)
- Strain the pasta in a colander and place in the fridge to cool.
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small container and whisk (or shake) to combine.
- Add the pasta back into the pot along with the chopped veggies and drizzle with the olive oil mixture.
- Toss together and serve immediately, or keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
