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Warm Orzo Salad with Beets & Greens

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Recipe
3 Questions

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by Sarah Shatz

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by the parsley thief

A&M's Testing Notes: Seasonal, smart, and beautiful, the parsley thief's warm orzo salad is stained fuchsia from cooking the pasta in the same tinted water as the beets, a thoughtful detail we love. And though...
Seasonal, smart, and beautiful, the parsley thief's warm orzo salad is stained fuchsia from cooking the pasta in the same tinted water as the beets, a thoughtful detail we love. And though we'd expect to see red onions left raw in a salad like this, caramelizing them makes the dish both heartier and sweeter, and they mingle happily with the salty bursts of feta, tender beets, woodsy greens, and crunchy, toasted nuts (if you don't have pine nuts, slivered almonds are a great inexpensive substitute). This dish would look striking on a holiday buffet or alongside a handsome roasted bird. - A&M

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Chef
the parsley thief's Notes: I harvested our beets this week, with a mission to come up with something to do with them, that could also use up the greens. This is what I came up with. I was very pleased with the results...
I harvested our beets this week, with a mission to come up with something to do with them, that could also use up the greens. This is what I came up with.
I was very pleased with the results...the bitter greens, the sweet beets, some salty feta...it was delicious. I especially loved the colors in this salad. It's like Fall on a plate. - the parsley thief

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Serves 6, as a side dish

3/4 pounds beets, with greens attached Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup pine nuts Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced Ask a question about this ingredient

2 cloves garlic, minced Ask a question about this ingredient

8 ounces orzo pasta Ask a question about this ingredient

3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled Ask a question about this ingredient

kosher salt & freshly ground pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

Heat the pine nuts in a dry skillet, over medium heat, until they begin to brown. Watch them carefully, as they will burn in a flash. Remove from the heat & transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
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Peel the beets & chop them into bite-sized pieces. Remove the stems from the beet greens & slice the leaves into strips. Wash the greens thoroughly to remove any grit.
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Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced red onion & garlic. Cook until the onions are tender & golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low & add the beet greens. Cover & cook, tossing occasionally, until the greens are wilted, about 5 minutes.
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Meanwhile, cook the beets in a pot of salted water, until just tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the beets from the pot using a slotted spoon & set aside. Return the water to a boil & add the pasta. Cook, according to the package instructions, until al dente & drain. Add the orzo to a bowl, along with the beets, pine nuts, beet greens & crumbled feta. Toss, season with salt & pepper to taste & serve.
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21 Comments on Warm Orzo Salad with Beets & Greens

mindia added 4 months ago

Made this as a main course and really enjoyed the flavor combinations. I used whole wheat orzo, and also roasted the beets rather than boiling them. (The orzo still got the characteristic staining once the beets were mixed with the pasta, in case one chooses to roast and forgo the pink-tinged boiling water.) Thanks for the yum!

tail.feathers added 9 months ago

Loved this! I jumped the gun and started roasting my beets before reading the boiling instruction. No biggie - I just diced and added at the end. So delish!

Melissa Whitfield Conway added 9 months ago

I had this the next day at a friends cold out of the fridge and it was amazing! The sweet flavor of the beets and the feta were great together. I cant wait to make this for my family.

lamingtonsandlasagna added 10 months ago

Loved this recipe! Threw in some asparagus with the greens and it worked well. Thanks parsley thief!

BlissfulBaker added 11 months ago

I made this tonight. It's the perfect blend of colors, textures & tastes. Sweet beets, bitter greens, salty feta, caramelized onions, toasty nuts, smooth pink pasta....beautiful & delicious! I agree with fuhsi that the amounts are chosen perfectly. Often I want to increase/decrease something in a recipe, but not here. The only substitutions I made were almonds for the pine nuts & israeli couscous for the orzo (because that's what I had in my cupboards.) Thanks for a wonderful recipe. It's a keeper!

xMarcus added about 1 year ago

This was great - beautiful and delicious.. We had it as a main course (served 2-3).

fuhsi added about 1 year ago

I've made this recipe several times, and am right now making it again. The second time I strayed from the recipe, increasing the beets:orzo ratio, but have reversed back to being true to stated amounts, because the texture as is cannot be surpassed.