Arugula and Lemon Orzo Salad

With the final days of the school year upon us at my house, the family calendar is finally starting to clear a little bit. For months now, meals have mostly been eaten on the go, or standing over the sink, way too late at night; after long practices, games or activities.

I feel like I have a little recalibrating to do as far as my approach to cooking dinner. What used to be the epicenter of our family life, got pushed to the sidelines for a bit. Not a bad thing necessarily, there’s seasons for everything, but I’m excited for a bit more time at home and with that definetly more cooking.

I saw a lovely photo of an orzo salad cross my social media feed sometime this spring and I quickly saved the photo, tucking it away as inspiration for when I had a little more time. I’m so glad I did, because when I went to water my garden this weekend, the arugula, I half-heartedly planted in late march, decided this was the week for harvest. The greens are tender, peppery, perfectly bright green and probably the most flavorful green I’ve eaten all year. I now need at least a dozen recipes that include arugula over the next couple weeks so not a leaf goes to waste.

But back to the inspiration photo, the orzo salad, from what I could tell was full of greens and herbs, lemon and a little cheese. Lucky for me, those ingredients are staples around my house. I set to work making my own version and the result might just be one of my new favorite recipes. There’s something so satisfying when the simplest of ingredients come together to make something really special.

Cooked orzo pasta, lots of chopped peppery arugula, bright herbs, lemon and a little salty parmesan cheese are all you need for a delicious and summery salad. You’ll notice when you read through the recipe, I made a note for the option of including cooked asparagus. I’ve made this salad a couple times now and the asparagus is a lovely springy addition. It’s not required, but if you happen to have asparagus in the fridge, it’s worth the extra step.

Arugula and Lemon Orzo Salad

• 4-5 cups lightly packed roughly chopped arugula

• 3 cups cooked orzo (about 2/3 of a box)

• 4 green onions

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• Juice and zest of a large lemon

• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 cup roasted or grilled asparagus (optional)*

Start by cooking the orzo pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. This recipe calls for about 3 cups cooked orzo which will leave you with leftover cooked pasta if you make the whole box. To make just enough for this recipe, eyeball about two-thirds of the box and save the rest for another recipe.

When the pasta is tender, usually about 8 minutes, drain the pasta water and set the orzo aside to cool.

Wash the arugula leaves and working in batches, give the leaves a rough chop. Add the prepared arugula to a large bowl. Rinse the green onions and remove the white ends. Dice the green onions and add to the bowl. Give the flat leaf parsley a rinse, remove the stems and mince the leaves. Add to the bowl.

Add the cooled orzo pasta to the large bowl and gently mix to combine. Drizzle with olive oil and rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Gently stir in the parmesan cheese, mixing the salad until the ingredients are well-combined. Finally, zest an entire lemon over the salad, then slice in half and squeeze the juice out of both halves. Give the salad a final gentle mix and it's ready to serve.

*This salad is lovely with the addition of roasted asparagus. Prepare the asparagus by tossing lightly in olive oil, salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and roast the asparagus spears in a 425 degree oven for about 8 minutes or until tender and bright green. Let the asparagus cool briefly before chopping into bite-size pieces and adding to the salad.