Orzo Salad with Tomato, Feta and Basil

There is something about a salad chock full of carbs, leafy greens, tangy feta cheese and fat grape tomatoes that commands attention. Here is another of Curtis Stone's recipes that we loved. So far he's batting a thousand and I am finding more and more to try from his website and cookbooks. So happy that I ♥ Cooking Club selected him as the resident chef for these next 6 months.




The theme this week is Something to Eat on the Sofa so I am guessing you may do an eye roll or wonder, who eats salad on a sofa? Well, if we decide to watch a movie and move our trays out to the living room, it isn't always hand held foods such as pizza or quesadillas. Just sayin'

Here is a closeup of the magical, healthy and delicious star of the plate. We decided this would go into the meal rotations.



Orzo Salad with Tomato, Feta and Basil

Salad:
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
3 cups (not packed) fresh baby spinach leaves
12 grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons thinly sliced flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain and cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk the vinegar, shallot, and garlic. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking to blend well. Stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Now grab a large bowl and toss the orzo, spinach, tomatoes, nuts, and parsley with enough of the vinaigrette to coat. Fold in the cheese. Season the salad to taste with salt and pepper.

You could mound the salad onto the center of a large platter, sprinkle with the chives, and serve. I just put it on the table and we served ourselves, grabbed as much as we wanted.

Check out I ♥ Cooking Club and see what others served up. Also linking up to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sunday and with Beth Fish's Weekend Cooking Series.
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