Lemony Orzo Salad with Feta and Pine Nuts
A vegetarian side dish/pasta salad that goes with chicken, fish, burgers, you name it!
This is the only pasta salad I really love. Orzo with feta, pine nuts, lemon and parsley. It’s light (uses olive oil, not mayo), bright and fresh from lemon juice and lemon zest, a little salty, a little nutty and as herby as you want it to be. I love it with loads of chopped parsley and black pepper but you should absolutely modify it to your liking. Basil works well as a substitute for parsley. If you’re a parsley hater, I recommend giving it a shot though, this might be your gateway recipe into liking parsley! It’s that good! If you want to use a different nut, I would go with sliced or slivered almonds - definitely toast them before adding. Walnuts would also work.
It's great as a main dish for a vegetarian meal (toss in some spinach or arugula for added greens) or as a side with grilled meat or fish (close your eyes and pretend you're in Greece!)
Ingredients:
1 lb orzo pasta
a big handful of chopped parsley
1/3 - 1/2 c toasted pine nuts
2 lemons (zest and juice)
3-4 oz. feta, crumbled or cubed
pantry items: about 4 Tbs olive oil, freshly cracked black pepper, salt
Instructions:
Cook orzo in a large pot of salted water according to package directions.
Once pasta is cooked, drain and place in a mixing bowl Toss pasta with about 4 tablespoons olive oil. You can use more or less depending on your taste.
Add chopped parsley, toasted pine nuts, juice and zest of lemons, feta cheese and a good amount of black pepper. Mix until combined and taste for seasoning. Add salt and plenty as needed.
This salad is great warm, room temp, or cold. Salad keeps, refrigerated 5 days.