Orzo Pasta Salad

The other day I was talking with my friend Sam about the awesomeness that is Trader Joe's. Unfortunately, the Trader Joe's closest to me is near the George Washington University campus and it's a real pain to get to and it's by far the worst store layout I've ever seen. Yet somehow those Hawaiian-shirted cashiers get the job done pretty quickly. In any case, it's been a while since I've gone to the store for my quarterly stock up grocery order where I get sucked in to their ethnic microwaveable meals and cheap staple items. I see a trip in my immediate future as I just used up the last of my last Trader Joe's haul as part of this weekend's brunch. I finally used the 1-pound bag of orzo pasta that has been patiently waiting in my cupboard.

This pasta salad recipe is really easy and makes for a small army. After having 9 people over for brunch on Sunday, I still had several servings left for myself for lunch this week.

Orzo Pasta Salad (serves a small army, or maybe 10 hungry women)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound orzo
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 12 oz. grape tomatoes (quartered)
• 8 oz. feta cheese
• 2/3 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 small can of sliced black olives
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• balsamic vinegar (to taste)

Directions: 

Cook orzo as instructed on package.

Toast pine nuts in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil until lightly browned.

Once pasta has cooked and cooled, toss all other ingredients together with the olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar (I used maybe 1/4 cup). Another option would be to use an Italian vinaigrette dressing.

Serve cold.