Bacon & Spinach Orzo with Pesto

Put a small saucepan of water on a high heat to bring to the boil. Meanwhile, add a drizzle of olive oil or a few sprays of light cooking spray to a nonstick frying pan. You won’t need much as the juices from the bacon will release.

Once the frying pan is hot, add the bacon pieces and toss around the pan regularly to cook evenly. You want to cook the bacon for around 10 minutes, until brown and crispy.

After the bacon has been cooking for 2 minutes, add the orzo to the saucepan. Cook the orzo for 4 minutes and then add the peas to the water. Cook for another 2 minutes and then drain. This is likely a couple of minutes less cooking time than the packet will say, but we are going to add it to the frying pan and cook a little more so you don’t want it to be overdone.

Add cherry tomatoes, cooked orzo and peas and spinach to the frying pan. Toss everything together and cook for another 2–3 minutes, stirring regularly. The tomatoes should be softened and the spinach wilted.

Stir the pesto and basil leaves through the pan. Season with pepper and salt if you wish. (I don’t think extra salt is needed because of the bacon and pesto which already have quite a bit of salt in). Serve immediately or portion into containers to refrigerate.