Friday, May 27, 2016

Orzo with Pesto, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Fresh Mozzarella with Toasted Pine Nuts

There are many iterations of Orzo with pesto - in this case, I've added sun-dried tomatoes, cubed fresh mozzarella, and toasted pine nuts. It's such a versatile recipe because you can add whatever floats your boat, so long as it doesn't taste weird with pesto. Other possible additions include cooked chicken, shrimp, pitted & chopped olives (green or black), fresh tomatoes, etc. Fresh pesto is best, but if you're short on time and/or ingredients, good quality store-bought (jarred or refrigerated) is an acceptable substitute.


Ingredients:
1 lb. orzo
5-6 oz. pesto
5 tbsp. sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained & sliced
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed

1. Cook the orzo according to package directions.

2. In the meantime, prep the pesto (if making from scratch), slice the sun dried tomatoes, cube the mozzarella, and toast the pine nuts (place nuts in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat and toast, stirring with a wooden spoon until just starting to lightly brown - remove from heat immediately to cool).

3. Drain the pesto in a colander/strainer and pour back into the cooking pot. Toss in all the remaining ingredients while the orzo is still warm. Taste and re-season, if needed. 

4. Garnish with basil leaves and serve either warm or at room temperature. 

 Cook the orzo according to package directions; drain & return to pan.

 Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until lightly browned.

 Pesto & sun dried tomatoes. Fresh pesto is best, but you can also use a good quality jarred pesto. 

 Fresh mozzarella, cubed.

 Toss the pesto, sun dried tomatoes and toasted pine nuts with the orzo.

Gently toss in the cubed mozzarella. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

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