Asparagus Orzo Salad

 

Ingredients

For the orzo salad:

• 1 cup dry orzo pasta
• 1 bundle of asparagus
• ½ cup (heaping) sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil), chopped or sliced*
• ⅓ of a red onion, sliced thin
• ⅓ cup fresh basil, sliced thin (packed)
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (plus more for serving)
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• Cracked black pepper, to taste

For the lemon vinaigrette:

• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Boil the orzo. Boil the orzo according to the package's directions then carefully drain it and set it aside.
• Sauté the asparagus. Add a splash of olive oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium heat. Once hot, add the asparagus and sauté for 5-8 minutes or until they're just tender.

  Season with salt and pepper then transfer the asparagus to a cutting board and cut them on the bias (diagonally) into 1 inch pieces. Set them aside once done.
• Make the vinaigrette. Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together and set it aside.
• Toss. Add the orzo, chopped asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, onion, fresh basil, crumbled feta cheese and lemon zest to the large bowl. Pour your desired amount of vinaigrette over the top and season with cracked black pepper. Toss the salad until it's coated to your liking then taste and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed.

  (Note: This recipe makes a large amount of vinaigrette so don't feel the need to use it all at once. We'll usually serve extra vinaigrette on the side and save the rest to re-toss our leftover salad with later.)
• Serve. Serve immediately with extra crumbled feta and sliced basil sprinkled over the top (or keep it chilled in the refrigerator for 30 minutes - 1 hour before serving).

Notes

*I've found that a 6.7oz jar of sun-dried tomatoes usually works.