Take-out Tuesday, Chopped Italian Salad

the Painted Apron

3 years ago

This recipe is a two for one,

cook once eat twice, type recipe

Not only is it super simple and fast to make,

you can easily adapt ingredients to your taste

Make ahead, easy to transport,

this Take out Tuesday’s Chopped Italian Salad has it all!

This salad combines orzo & asparagus with

Parmesan cheese, salami, peppers,

onions, pine nuts and fresh spinach

Make it up ahead of time and store it in jars in the fridge

and your lunch is ready to grab and go!

Make a delicious orzo and asparagus casserole {recipe below}

to have as a side dish for dinner and make enough to have leftovers

The next day chop up the rest of the ingredients

and mix them with the leftover orzo

Now you have a lovely cold salad,

packed with veggies and flavor,

for a grab & go lunch, an easy lunch box or picnic dish,

or a great addition to a BBQ or pot luck supper

Orzo is a small pasta, sort of like rice

Toss the asparagus in the pot about half way through cooking the orzo

When orzo is done and asparagus turns bright green,

drain in a colander

Then toss with butter and fresh lemon juice

Add lots of yummy Parmesan, and that’s it!

Serve or cover, refrigerate and reheat later

For the salad combine the leftover orzo

with the chopped ingredients, salami, onions, peppers,

cheese, pine nuts whatever you like

I like to serve this with some crunchy romaine or fresh spinach

tossed lightly with lemon vinaigrette

Combine the salad and the lettuce or spinach at serving time

to keep the Chopped Italian Orzo Salad fresh for several days

and to prevent wilting the greens

Creamy Orzo with Asparagus & Parmesan

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword asparagus Parmesan orzo, brown rice, orzo, orzo casserole

Servings 6

Bring a large sauce pan of water (filled about halfway) to a boil over medium heat. Cook the orzo until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
After the orzo has been cooking for about 5 minutes, add the asparagus to the pot and cook a few more minutes until orzo is done and asparagus turns bright green. Drain and turn into a baking dish.
Add the lemon juice, butter and Parmesan and stir to melt butter and cheese.
Drizzle a little cream or milk over all and stir. Add just enough to make it look moist and creamy.
Season with salt and pepper. Top with additional Parmesan if desired.
Cover and refrigerate or serve immediately.
To heat before serving, place dish in a 325 oven for 15-20 minutes or microwave, stirring after 1 minute until heated through.
Serves 6 {or 4 servings with 2 leftover for salad}