This was eaten enthusiastically by the people at a pot luck dinner. Because of time constraints I had to make it the day before. I thought it would allow the flavors to blend, but I wouldn't recommend it since the pasta, cheese and onion all absorbed the dressing and turned brownish from the balsamic vinegar. But it tasted great and the appearance didn't stop anyone from eating it!
I LOVE this salad. I add sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives as well. I find that you don't need an entire 10 oz package of baby spinach (I only use about half of a 6 oz bag).
This was delicious and is a new favorite. I added black olives, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes. The recipe makes a TON though, so i had enough for several meals. I served this as a side to "Firecracker Grilled Alaska Salmon" from this site and they went together very well.
I used farfalle instead of orzo and since my husband does not care for feta, I substituted with a mixture of provolone and mozzarella cheeses. I also added grated Romano, salt, garlic powder and parsley. I toasted the pine nuts for added flavor.
Oh my this was wonderful. I could've eaten just this for a couple of days and been very happy. I halved the recipe and served it for guests, who demanded the recipe. :) The only changes I made were using fresh basil instead of dried and black pepper instead of white. I know there is a lower fat/calorie feta cheese that I might try next time. Yes there will be a next time on this one!
Loved it - so good for any occasion. Barely used any Olive Oil - and put the juice of 1 lemon and the balsamic vinegar. Love this also with baby Roma tomatoes or cherry tomatoes!
I made this salad for Thanksgiving and added dried cranberries and used half of the oil and vinegar. Absolutely delicious!!! Definately will be making again!
I've made this several times and its a great recipe that works well if you want to alter it a little for different tastes or what you have handy. I've used asiago cheese instead of the feta, also different vinegars like white balsamic, white wine and rice wine. Also, not a fan of pine nuts, but almonds go great. If you want your spinach wilted, you can put it in the colandar and then drain the orzo ( you can also substitute a variety of pastas) over the spinach to wilt it without extra cooking. Enjoy.
Yum! What a great flavor. I will make this again and again! Even 1/2 the recipe makes a lot so I'll make 1/4 next time.
I followed the recipe exactly and as is this salad was extremely bland. I had very high hopes for it but I brought it to a a potluck and no one was impressed. I think it's a good idea but it definitely needs some tweaking.
