Made this for dinner last night and it was fabulous! I got the recipe from a good friend who is a great cook. The changes I made are in italics. I added chicken sausage for added protein since I made this for the main course. I served the pasta with fresh corn. Yum-o!
Ingredients:
3 cups baby spinach, washed, stems removed (I was too lazy to remove the stems and it was fine)
1 to 1.5 cups of orzo pasta (I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup chopped grape tomatoes or 1/3 cup finely chopped red bell peppers.......kind of a kitchen sink kind of thing...any chopped veggie really! (I used red bell pepper)
toasted pine nuts (about 1/4 cup)
grated parmesan (about 1/2 cup)
Dressing:
2 t. minced garlic
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T white wine vinegar
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. chiffonade of basil (I used basil leaves I had in our garden)
2 t. fresh, black pepper
Directions:
Rinse spinach and remove long stems. Cook orzo according to pkg. directions and drain. Put spinach in bottom of pot that orzo just came out of, dump the orzo back on top of the spinach, cover with lid until wilted. Throw in a T. of EVOO, stir. Add chopped tomatoes and/or red bell peppers, cheese and stir. Pour dressing over the salad, top with pine nuts, toss well and serve warm. SO GOOD!
*Are you looking for more info. about weight training and it's benefits from my post below? Go here. :)
So glad it was a hit! It is my FAVORITE summer side....pasta AND veggies all in one! Next time you want to get fancy with your basil...try this cutting technique called "chiffonade." My super talented chef nephew taught me! It makes the basil look so pretty! http://localfoods.about.com/od/basics/ss/Chiffonade_6.htm
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming Anita (the comment above me) is the "friend" that you got this recipe from.
ReplyDeleteSo THANK YOU Anita for this fabulous summer dish :D
I"ll second that one Anita...and Laura, do you have the recipe for the fantastic dish you made at the beach on here? If so which posting? I just love reading your recipes...now I have to brave it to the kitchen and the ceramic floor...
ReplyDeleteMerci Big Big Buckets~
@ Anita: Thank you for the info. on the chiffonade... I was wondering what that was!
ReplyDelete@ Brittany: Yes, the recipe is from this Anita! :)
@ Sush: Yes, I will post the recipe from the beach! Thank you for reminding me...love you!