Have you ever made something and thought to yourself “if I owned my own restaurant this would be on the menu?” Well..spoiler alert… I think about this all the time… especially when I make a dish I love as much as this one!
Banza pasta has been a game changer – allowing both me and my clients to get in a fiber-rich and filling dinner while still getting our pasta fix. Recently they came out with chickpea “rice” (but it’s really more similar to orzo). Orzo pasta is one of my all time favorite things when combined with feta cheese, spinach, toasted pine nuts and kalamata olives. Toss it in a Dijon, balsamic and vinegar dressing and it doesn’t get much better than this! Plus it only takes 20 minutes to make. It is great for a weeknight dinner, leftovers for lunch or to bring over to someones house to be served as a side dish.
Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 box Banza rice (Orzo) May substitute for any Orzo pasta
- 2 cups Baby spinach
- 4 oz Feta cheese
- 3 oz Kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup Pine nuts
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
Dressing ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Boil a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add Banza rice/orzo pasta and cook on simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Meanwhile, blend 1 cup of spinach with 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Coat orzo with spinach and olive oil mixture .
- Chop kalamata olives into rings
- Toast pine nuts on cast iron skillet for 1-2 minutes on medium heat.
- In large bowl, mix the orzo, kalamata olive rings, feta, other 1 cup of spinach. Add toasted pine nuts.
- Serve and enjoy warm or cold as as leftovers. Tastes great both ways!
Dressing
- Mix 2 TBS balsamic vinegar, 2 TBSP olive oil, and 1 tsp dijon mustard until well-blended.
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