One of the questions on regular repeat around here these days is 'What's for dinner tonight?'. My reaction to that question is getting eerily similar to the incessant 'Are we there yet, are we there yet?' one emanating from the back seat of a car on those once taken family road trips. Unspoken four letter words swirl around in my head before any number of more socially acceptable words pass my lips. You see, I don't plan out the meals for the week. With a few exceptions, the plan for dinner doesn't come together until sometime in the morning. Yes, having a plan would probably make life easier, especially for me. But I much prefer the more fluid meal planning approach for our stay at home, socially distanced meals. Rather,I want meals to be influenced by cravings, what I have on hand, and how much time/energy I want to put into creating them. On days I spend almost the entire morning working on a new recipe for the blog, I want meals to be as simple as possible. Roasted or grilled chicken or baked salmon are my ideas of simple. Where I spend the most time in planning the dinner menu for the day is in deciding or rather I should say fretting over what the side dish should be. I could probably eat a roasted sweet potato every day, but not everyone around here shares my same enthusiasm for the redundancy of them. However, if the worst problem of my day is deciding on a side dish, well I suppose I really don't have much to complain or whine about.
The easiest way to solve the side dish dilemma would be to buy a bunch of salads from the deli counter. But there are limits even to my concept of easy. As convenient as deli salads are, some aren't as tasty as ones homemade with fresh ingredients. And with the weather turning warmer, I seem be craving side dishes or salads made with seasonal ingredients or ones that can be served cold. Not only does this Herb and Feta Orzo Salad meets both criteria, it is refreshingly, light and intensely flavorful.
Not to mention that it can easily be turned into a main dish by adding either grilled/roasted shrimp, chicken, or salmon on top. Like baked sweet potatoes, this Herb and Feta Orzo Salad will be going on regular repeat here in the months ahead. But unlike sweet potatoes, this salad only has fans around here.
Make this salad in the morning to give the flavors enough time to blend before serving for dinner. Several hours of chilling and marinating time is key to creating the most flavorful salad. (Note: It can also be made the night before.)
Warm al dente orzo is mixed with a lemon and olive oil dressing before the chopped herbs, red onion, English cucumber, and green onions are mixed in. The feta cheese is the last ingredient to go into the salad before it's covered in plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator. The quality of the Feta cheese you buy matters. Choose a high quality Greek Feta and one where the blocks of the feta are sitting in its' brining solution. Always remember you get what you pay for.
This salad is light, refreshing, and incredibly flavorful. If you happen to be a big fan of Feta cheese, you will absolutely fall head over heals in love this Herb and Feta Orzo Salad. And it's a bajillion times better than any orzo salad you could buy in the grocery store. In addition to serving with chicken, shrimp or salmon, it's a great side dish for grilled steaks or burgers. Which makes it one of the most versatile, easy to make salads you can be serving in the months ahead.
The recipe below makes enough for 8-10 servings. So you might want to consider packaging some up to share with a neighbor or friend.
If, by chance, you have or are planning your herb garden this year, consider adding dill and flat leaf parsley to your herb choices. Not only because it will inspire you to make this Herb and Feta Orzo Salad more often, but because those two herbs can be used in so many different savory dishes. And adding fresh herbs to a dish transforms it from being just ordinary to simply extraordinary.
For those of you who have also struggled to decide what to make for dinner over the past couple of months, know you are not alone. I am getting close to asking to get off the daily dinner planning/making merry-go-round. Or at least temporarily banning those four slightly irritating words 'What's for dinner tonight?' from being spoken. To make life easier, my daily dinner meal plan should probably begin with deciding on the side dish rather than the main dish. Especially when a side dish can easily turn into a main dish!
Herb and Feta Orzo Salad (source of inspiration: Herbed Orzo with Feta Salad from Ina Garten)
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
Dressing
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 3 good sized lemons)
1/2 cup good quality olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salad
12 ounces orzo, cooked al dente
1 cup thinly sliced green onions, white and green parts (about 5-6 green onions)
1 cup freshly chopped dill
1 cup freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
1 cup medium-diced English (seedless) cucumber (unpeeled and unseeded)
1/2 cup finely diced red onion (about 1/2 of a large red onion)
12 ounces good quality feta cheese, cut into small-medium sized cubes (See notes)
Optional: Roasted or Grilled Shrimp, Chicken or Salmon
Directions
1. Whisk together the freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in one tablespoon of kosher salt and a splash of olive oil before adding in the orzo. Reduce the heat slight and cook the orzo until al dente (approximately 9-11 minutes). Drain the orzo and pour into a large bowl. Immediately pour the dressing over the warm orzo. Stir to blend.
3. Add in the chopped green onions, dill, parsley, seedless cucumber and red onion. Stir to combine.
4. Add in the feta cheese and stir gently.
5. Wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
6. Take the salad out the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you are ready to serve. Taste for seasonings. Note: The salad is great chilled, but even better when it sits out for a bit.
7. To turn salad into a main dish, top with some roasted/grilled shrimp, chicken or salmon.
Notes: (1) Some grocery stores sell a variety of Feta cheeses in their deli section. Look for a high quality Greek Feta Cheese. Ask to have your cheese packed in the brining water so it stays as fresh as possible.