WARM STRAWBERRY BACON ORZO SALAD

WARM STRAWBERRY BACON ORZO SALAD image

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

ÃÂ½ cups Uncooked Whole Wheat Orzo
2 slices Bacon, Chopped
ÃÂ¼ cups Whole Pecans
ÃÂ½ whole Red Onion, Sliced
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
4 cups Raw Spinach
4 whole Large Strawberries, Sliced
1 ounce, weight Goat Cheese Crumbled
Fresh Basil, For Garnish
Salt And Pepper

Steps:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon. Fry until golden brown and crispy, then remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Add pecans to the skillet and toast for about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally so they do not burn. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Set bacon and pecans aside. In the meantime, boil a pot of water for orzo and cook according to package directions. Add sliced red onion to the skillet with a sprinkle of salt and stir to coat with bacon grease. Saute over medium heat until onions are soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add in garlic and spinach and cook until spinach wilts. Add in strawberries and the cooked orzo and mix to coat. Season with salt and pepper, then add in pecans and bacon. Remove from heat and stir in crumbled goat cheese. Top with fresh basil to garnish if youÃ¢ÂÂd like. Serve immediately. It tastes good cold too! Tasty Kitchen Blog: Warm Strawberry Bacon Orzo Salad. Guest post by Erica Kastner of Buttered Side Up, recipe submitted by TK member Jessica of How Sweet It Is. Notes: 1. Donât overcook your orzo, or it will stick together. I cooked mine a bit too long and needed to rinse it with cold water to loosen it up. 2. I love that the strawberries donât get too cookedâjust enough to help their flavor meld a tiny bit into the rest of the salad. 3. You could also use other seasonal fruits in this salad. I think blueberries would work really well. 4. Even if you absolutely hate goat cheese, you should still give this recipe a try! You can leave it out or substitute it with another cheese. I think blue cheese or feta would be awesome. 5. This salad was really best fresh. It seemed to deteriorate quickly in the refrigerator for me.