The Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen
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Warm Orzo Salad with Beets and Greens

5.00 Mitt(s) 6 Rating(s)6 votes, average: 5.00 out of 56 votes, average: 5.00 out of 56 votes, average: 5.00 out of 56 votes, average: 5.00 out of 56 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5

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Level: Easy

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Description

This dish is a great winter salad: warm and hearty, yet fresh and tangy. Garlicky red onions and beet greens go really well with the warm orzo and tangy feta.

Ingredients

  • ¼ cups Pine Nuts
  • ¾ pounds Beets With Greens
  • 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • ½ whole Medium Red Onion, Thinly Sliced
  • 2 whole Cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 8 ounces, weight Orzo Pasta
  • 3 ounces, weight Feta Cheese, Crumbled
  • Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper

Preparation

1. 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 and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
2. Peel the beets and slice them into bite-sized pieces. Remove the stems from the beet greens and slice the leaves into strips. Wash the greens thoroughly to remove any grit.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced red onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the beet greens. Cover and cook, tossing occasionally, until the greens are wilted, about 5 minutes.
4. 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 and set aside. Return the water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to the package instructions until al dente; drain.
5. Add the orzo to a bowl, along with the beets, pine nuts, beet greens and crumbled feta. Toss, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

3 Comments

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Eating for England on 4.22.2011

I’m so happy that you all have enjoyed this recipe as much as I did! Thanks for the lovely reviews/comments.

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msstort on 3.11.2011

I made this because of tavee’s rave review and am so glad I did. My husband said “It’s a keeper” – and he Never says anything like that :-) Maybe it’s because we used the beets he grew…hmm.

Definitely putting this on the recipe rotation!

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tavee4419 on 1.19.2011

This is a perfect unique and tasty light ladies lunch. Nice for vegetarians too!
I must have liked it to go through the lengthly process to get registered just to make this comment.

6 Reviews

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Kelly on 6.12.2012

Delicious!

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keric on 5.31.2012

This was delicious! All of the flavors worked so well together. Can’t wait to eat it as leftovers for lunch!

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Erin Phillips on 4.4.2012

I always buy beets on impulse without knowing what to do with them and usually just end up slicing them in a salad. This was delicious, nutritious, and makes a ton. I used spinach instead of beet greens as my beets did not come with greens, and sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts. Great recipe.

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msstort on 3.11.2011

I had all of the ingredients (an amazing happenstance in itself) and after reading tavee4419’s review, decided to try this.

We had put in a really small garden this winter and are having a great time being ‘farmers’. Our beets weren’t for a long time – lots of tops and no bulb, but we finally got 2 medium sized ones today. I decided to bake them instead of boiling them, mainly because I didn’t want to mess with peeling them and knew the peels would come off easily after baking.

Other than that (oh, and using a sweet onion instead of a red one), I followed the recipe completely. Added a sauteed chicken breast on top and bread and butter and had a feast! Definitely cooking this again.

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tavee4419 on 1.19.2011

I’m not sure what the difference between a “comment” and a “review” but I wanted to be able to give this recipe a 5 mitt rating so here I am again.

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