Thursday, September 16, 2010

Orzo salad with feta and bell peppers

Another really excellent use for the Valbreso feta - orzo salad. We made this dish multiple times this summer. It keeps well in the fridge and makes excellent leftovers*, especially if you stuff it in a lightly toasted pita. Carbs on carbs is always a win, in my book.

orzo salad
{orzo salad}

This contains raw garlic and green onions, so it's fairly intense. I love it, but if you're faint of heart where garlic is concerned, you might want to ease up on it.

Orzo salad with feta and bell peppers (from here, makes 8 - 10 large servings)
12 ounces orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

1/3 cup olive oil (reduced from original)
1 1/2 cups feta cheese (or whatever amount you like)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper (I also tossed in some green)
3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
4 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons drained capers (I left these out because I can't stand capers)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (completely optional)
:: Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, chop the bell peppers, olives and green onions and set aside.

:: Combine lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard and cumin in small bowl to create the dressing. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

:: Cook orzo until tender but still firm to bite (7 - 9 minutes, usually). Drain. Rinse briefly; drain well. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in the dressing mixture. It will smell amazing. Add crumbled feta cheese, chopped bell peppers, Kalamata olives, green onions and capers (if you must).

:: Season to taste with salt and pepper. Eat while still slightly warm or cover and refrigerate. Either way, garnish salad with pine nuts before serving. Although I've forgotten to do this 2 out of 3 times and it's still great.

*LOTS of leftovers. This says 8 - 10 servings and it means it. They aren't side servings. For the two of us, we'll usually cut the recipe in half, unless we want to eat it for lunch and dinner for several days. Which we sometimes do. 

14 comments:

  1. Wow, that recipe looks really easy and I think I might have almost everything, thanks for sharing!

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  2. Making this tonight looks delicious!

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  3. This is definitely going to be at my dinner table tomorrow night.
    Thank you for sharing!

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  4. I was thinking of attempting something like this next week. I was going to use quinoa though. Thoughts? Also thought about using lentils.

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  5. This looks SO delicious!! And I love it when a healthy salad makes way too much- delicious lunches for the work week!

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  6. I love your recipes, and I love your attitude towards them. I am always tinkering with recipes to make them fit my tastes (or whatever I happen to have in the fridge).. so it makes me feel so much better to know that you do the same thing!
    Making this soon, for sure.

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  7. Thank you! I make huge quantities of orzo salad all the time and just use it in different ways all week, but my problem has been dressing it - I never know quite what to do. I can't wait to try it with the dressing in this recipe tonight!

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  8. looks so good, i think i'll be trying this one! i make a similar summer salad with farro, vegetables, and balsamic vinegar..such good summer food!

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  9. I made this recipe for lunch this week and split it into four servings each for me and my husband.

    It is DELICIOUS. Thank you for posting this. My taste buds are happy and my husband gives it two thumbs up.

    I love visiting your blog every day for inspiration. It's icing on top when there's a fabulous recipe!

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  10. Rachel, made this tonight and we can't put it down. Thanks (I think!) ;-)

    xo

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  11. hi there,
    i'm here via domestic reflections. jora is my cousin in law and always a trusted source for all things delish. i'm making it now!

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  12. Just made this for dinner tonight after a long and eventful week and didn't want to muck around too much in the kitchen. Oh my goodness. What a fantastic dish - my boyfriend even enjoyed it though he kept on asking what the pasta was called! Will definately be bookmarking and making this recipe again! Once again, you're awesome xx

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