Monday, January 26, 2009

Presto Pasta!

I haven't a clue why, but I can't remember the last time I had pasta! This weekend I made up a pasta salad to enjoy for dinner this week. Ready and waiting when I get home, that's the way I like it ;-) This is definately adaptable to whatever you have in your fridge, too.



Orzo Salad
inspired by this recipe
yield: 3 servings



6oz WW orzo
1 bag of artichoke hearts, defrosted, drained, and chopped (or canned)
1c cherry tomatoes, sliced
4 roasted garlic cloves
3T pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/3-1/2c crumbled goat cheese
1 can tuna (chicken, or chickpeas would also be fantastic), optional

dressing:
zest of 1/2 lemon
salt, pepper to taste
equal amounts of red wine vinegar and EVOO (I think it was ~2T each)


Cook orzo until al dente and drain. While orzo is cooking, prepare dressing by combining vinegar, zest, s/p and then whisk in EVOO. Add remaining ingredients to a large bowl, drizzle dressing, toss to combine thoroughly. The flavors got better as they marinated in the fridge :) It was good warmed up, or cold, too, so pick your poison.


This comes just in time to submit to Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Erin at The Skinny Gourmet! I remember seeing this pop up on everyone's blogs back before I started my own blog, so I'm excited to finally participate :)


And one last thing, anyone with creative snack ideas, head on over to the contest at Oh She Glows for a giveaway!

39 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Wonderful submission and dish!!

Anonymous said...

that looks so good!!! i love orzo!

Heather said...

mmm. i love the artichokes. there is something so wonderful about pastas just sitting in the fridge for you, huh?

HEAB said...

I've never cooked with orzo. I have a box of quinoa pasta noodles that has been in my cabinet forever. I think you just inspired me. Artichokes...yum!

Reeni said...

This is great! I would love it with chickpeas!

Anonymous said...

I love veggieful pasta salads :)

Mrs. LC said...

As much as I love cooking, I really appreciate being able to come home from work and not have to worry about cooking! Meals like this are perfect!!

Anonymous said...

This looks so great! I bet it would work well with any type of pasta.

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to try that! I have not had artichokes in a while and they sound amazing!!

Sara said...

Your pasta looks great - I love to make pasta dishes on weeknights, so quick and easy!

Erica said...

yayy for the cook ahead meal! Orzo is so awesome too! Good luck in the contest. How is the weather up your way?

Bridget said...

oh my goodness I am LOVING this recipe!! Such a great combo of flavors :)

Meg said...

I love orzo! What a lovely salad!

Anonymous said...

While I love artichoke dip, never been a huge fan of artichokes on their own.

Although I saw on FoodTV where they grilled them, and they looked so good!

HangryPants said...

Mmm I love orzo! Thanks for the recipe.

Dewi said...

This is such a wonderful salad. It's delicious for sure.
Cheers,
Elra

Gena said...

Great recipe! I love orzo because it cooks so quickly and has a great texture. And it's so diverse.

Unknown said...

Yum. I love orzo salad, but I've never tried one with tuna. Sounds super flavorful. Thanks for contributing to PPN!

Fit Mommy said...

That sounds wonderful. Always forget about using orzo pasta to make a salad and I never buy artichoke hearts. Looks yummy.

Anonymous said...

I usually hate pasta salads but this one has all of my favorite stuff in it, so I'm definitely saving the recipe!! :)

Anonymous said...

I love making pasta with whatever I have a refrigerator. Love your version with orzo and artichokes - Delicious!

vanillasugarblog said...

Awesome combo here! I would devour this too.

Maria said...

Looking good. Orzo is great and with artichokes, even better!

Ruth Daniels said...

Great dish, thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.

Anonymous said...

That looks great. You've had a few fancy days lately!

Every Gym's Nightmare said...

ive never tried orzo- except the rice a roni kind. which is blasphemous Im sure.

Kelly Turner
www.everygymsnightmare.com

Anonymous said...

Quick fix meals are what I always look forward to. Looks delicious!

Anonymous said...

i really have to pick up artichokes ASAP!!! that dish looks amazing :)

Annie said...

All my favorite flavors... Sounds delicious!

MacDuff said...

I love this. Orzo is quickly becoming one of my favorite dinners, and the tuna in it is an added bonus.

How can you not eat pasta? Don't you know it's an independent food group?

Yasmeen said...

Wholesome pasta ,the tuna and artichokes combo sounds super good:)

Anonymous said...

Oh my that pasta looks great. Really want to try this recipe!

Anonymous said...

I can't believe I have never tried orzo! I hadn't heard of the Presto Pasta nights, but this looks like an excellent submission!!

Jen (Running with Food) said...

This pasta salad sound amazing! Very light with a bunch of tasty add-in's!!

Anonymous said...

A great looking pasta salad. I love the addition of artichokes as well. I never knew that they came frozen.

BOBBI McCORMICK said...

I love orzo yours looks amazing!

lauren said...

oh wow - this looks incredible.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, that looks amazing!

Joanne said...

Hey, I saw your dish on Presto Pasta and thought it looked really good! I am a student in Boston and I think our cooking and eating mentality is very similar You've got some great recipes on here and I look forward to seeing more.

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