What a wonderful salad this turned out to be. My wife and I were at our local Whole Foods Market the other day. She purchased a pound of their great looking spinach and orzo salad. Neither of us had ever tried it before. It was so good that I immediately looked at the ingredients list and went on a hunt to find a clone of it. And here it is.
A Great Taste Combination
This spinach and orzo salad has a great almost creamy texture from the orzo, with a crunch of celery and red onion. The dressing is simple and straightforward. I used a bottled tomato balsamic vinaigrette but any variation of a vinaigrette would work just as well. The salad is finished off with my favorite, feta, and toasted pine nuts. Perfect!
Also try my black-eyed pea salad.
Spinach and Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound orzo pasta
- 6 ounces baby spinach fresh, washed, dried, chopped fine
- ¾ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ¾ cup red onion minced
- ¾ cup balsamic vinaigrette I used Kraft Tomato Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ cup pine nuts toasted
Instructions
- Cook the orzo according to the package directions. Rinse in cold water and drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine the spinach, feta, onion, and cooked orzo.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette, basil, and pepper.
- Pour dressing over the orzo mixture and toss to coat.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
- Serve garnished with toasted pine nuts.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
