A vibrant green, fresh and light orzo salad. Layered with soft spinach, pan-fried asparagus, creamy mozzarella, sweet peas, crunchy toasted almonds and the most delicious and simple basil vinaigrette that you’ll want to pour on everything.
Time to make : 20 minutes
Serves : 4
Ingredients
250g Orzo pasta
200g frozen peas
1 tbsp olive oil
450g asparagus
Small bag baby spinach
40g slivered almonds
220g mozzarella (drained weight)
Basil vinaigrette
40g basil leaves
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper, to season
To serve: fresh basil, mint and a squeeze of lemon
Method
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add in the dried Orzo pasta and cook to packet instructions (about 10 minutes).
Add in the frozen peas when your pasta has 2 minutes to go. Then drain everything into a large colander and rinse under cold water.
Make your vinaigrette by adding everything into a blender or small food processor and blitz until smooth. If you need to loosen the consistency, add in a few tbsp’s of starchy pasta (or regular) water.
In a frying pan, dry-toast the almonds until golden. Tip onto a separate plate.
In the same frying pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over a high heat. Add in the asparagus and a good pinch of salt. Sauté until golden.
To assemble the salad, mix the baby spinach in with the drained and cooled Orzo and peas. Add in the cooked asparagus and pour over the dressing, mix everything together well. Taste to season and adjust as necessary. Tear over the mozzarella and sprinkle over the toasted almonds. Finish with fresh basil, mint, a squeeze of lemon and plenty of black pepper.
Nutritional information:
(per serve)
495 cals
29g fat, 36g carbs, 22g protein
Good to know:
Vegetarian.
To make this vegan, skip out the mozzarella.
You could also use burrata or crumbled feta.
Use any soft salad leaves eg. rocket or lambs lettuce.
Use any nuts or seeds eg. hazelnuts or walnuts.
Store the salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.