Summertime Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad

Summertime Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad

What you'll Need:

• Wide, tall sided skillet
• OR a pot and a sautee pan
• Baking sheet
• I like to cover my sheets with aluminum foil - helps with clean-up! but it is optional
• Wood spoon
• Mesh strainer
• Cutting board
• Knife
• optional: Garlic Press or mini chopper

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 1/2 lb (1/2 box) Pasta
• Orzo is my preferred but OK to substitute with the small pasta shape of your choice!
• 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
• 2 Bell Peppers
• 2 - 3 Yellow Squash or Zucchini
• 1/2 bag Spinach
• Garlic (overall, will need at least 5 cloves of garlic)
• 2 lemons
• Dijon mustard
• Greek yogurt or sour cream
• Dried herbs (Oregano, Thyme & Basil OR Italian Seasoning)
• 2 oz Feta Cheese
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or Grapeseed Oil (for vinaigrette)
• High Smoke Point Oil (for vegetables)
• Choose on such as Vegetable Oil OR Grapeseed Oil OR Avocado Oil
• Preferably an oil with a smokepoint of 400˚ F or higher)

Directions:

Tomatoes (prep: 10 min | cook: 3 hours)

1. Pre-heat oven to 200˚ F
2. Halve all grape tomatoes lengthwise (When cut, they should retain the oval shape)
3. In a bowl, combine 1 - 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, a hefty pinch of salt (~1/8 teaspoon), an equal amount of pepper, 1 teaspoon Oregano, 2 cloves of garlic diced or pushed through a garlic press. 
4. Add tomatoes to bowl and toss to generously coat with mixture.
5. Cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup then spray covered pan with a little cooking spray (OR rub a small amount of oil on sheet pan)
6. Spread tomatoes, cut side up, in a single layer across the sheet pan.
7. Slow roast tomatoes in pre-heated oven for about 3 hours.
8. Once roasted, remove from oven to cool. OK to cook ahead and store in fridge overnight.

Chicken (prep: 10 min | marinate: 1 h - overnight | cook: 20-25 minutes)

1. Rinse and pat dry 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs. Set Aside.
2. Juice 1 -3 lemons (depending on size of lemons). You will need at least 1/4 cup of juice!
3. In a zip lock bag, combine lemon juice and an equal amount of olive oil.  Add a hefty pinch of salt and hefty pinch of pepper (~1/8 teaspoon), 1/2 tsp of dried Oregano, 1/2 tsp of dried thyme leaves, and 2 - 3 cloves of garlic diced or pushed through a press. Make sure the marinade is well combined!
• If you have fresh herbs, feel free to substitute! Dried herbs, however, tend to be better suited for marinades as it gives the herb the opportunity to re-hydrate! Fresh herbs are best at the end of a recipe.
• You should have enough marinade to completely coat the chicken thighs. If your thigh pieces are too large, cut the chicken into smaller pieces and/or double the marinade recipe.
4. Add thighs to marinade bag and refrigerate for 1 - 8 hours.
5. In a pre-heated 425˚ F oven, place thighs on a prepped baking sheet and roast for 10 - 15 minutes. Flip chicken pieces and keep in oven until cooked through and browned (~10 additional minutes).
• If you prefer to cook it on a stovetop, it's OK to brown the chicken on the stovetop. Just make sure the chicken cooks through!!!
6. Allow chicken pieces to cool before dicing.

Vegetables (prep: 10-15 min | Cook: 10-15 min)

1. Prep cut all vegetables
• Bell Peppers and squash should be cut into small pieces
• Spinach should be chopped
• 3 - 4 garlic cloves chopped coursely
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, then add ~1-2 Tablespoons of oil
• Recommend using an oil with a higher smoke point like canola, grapeseed, or avocado oil
3. Once pan has heated, add bell peppers and squash and a light pinch of salt (~1/16 tsp). Stir frequently. 
4. Once vegetables just start to brown and soften, add garlic and about 1 Tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon (juice of 1/4 - 1/2 lemon)
5. Once garlic is fragrant (or about 1 minute), lower heat to med low and add the chopped spinach
• Depending on the size of your pan, you will likely have to add the spinach in batches! Add a handful or two to the pan and allow spinach to wilt down. When there's room for more spinach, add another handful or two until all spinach has been added.
6. While spinach is cooking down, add a touch more salt, some pepper, 1/2 - 1 teaspoon each of Oregano and Thyme (or dried Italian Seasoning) and another Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. 
7. Once spinach has wilted down, move vegetables out of pan to cool

Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette (prep: 5-10 min)

Feel free to adjust the ratios on the ingredients below. I don't usually measure my vinaigrette/salad dressing ingredients and just keep adding pinches and small spoonfuls of this or that until I find my desired flavor.

1. In a small bowl, combine juice of 1 med-large lemon (or 2 small lemons!) and an equal amount of Extra Virgin olive oil (about 1/4 cup of each) OK to substitute grapeseed oil for EVOO
2. Then add the following ingredients:
• 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 - 2 garlic gloves, pressed or minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano*
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (not ground powder)*
• or 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning* 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 - 1 Tablespoon Greek Yogurt (or plain yogurt or sour cream, etc)
3.  Stir or Shake WELL - make sure all ingredients have become mixed together. Set aside.

Pasta (prep: 10 min | Cook time: refer to packaging)

1. In the same high sided pan or in a pasta pot, bring water to a boil
2. Once water is boiling, add salt
• When salting water for pasta, unless preparing dish for someone with strict sodium restrictions, it's always recommended to heavily salt the pasta. Most chefs recommend making the water "as salty as the ocean". Don't be afraid to get heavy handed! But do wait until water is at a boil as a kindness to your cookware!
3. Add the 1/2 lb pasta to boiling water and be sure to stir!
4. Allow pasta to cook until al dente, stirring every few minutes (refer to package directions for time!)
5. Drain pasta well then combine it with ONE QUARTER of the creamy lemon vinaigrette mixture.

Pasta Salad (prep: 10 min)

This pasta salad can be made ahead or served right away. If making ahead, be sure to wait until all ingredients have cooled before storing in the fridge.

1. In a bowl, combine pasta, tomatoes, vegetables, chicken, pasta, and 1 tablespoon of vinaigrette.
2. Stir until all are well combined.
3. Mix in 1 oz crumbled feta cheese.
4. If serving immediately, add another Tablespoon of vinaigrette. 
5. If making ahead, put cooled salad in fridge. Prior to serving, mix in final Tablespoon of vinaigrette.
6. Top with remaining feta crumbles and enjoy!