Checkerboard Orzo Salad
"An adaptation of a wonderful salad by Rozanne Gold, a favorite cookbook author. The checkerboard happens when small cubes of tomato are tossed with the orzo. Goat cheese melted into the warm pasta makes it luscious. Cook time is resting time."
photo by duonyte
- Ready In:
- 1hr 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 6
- Serves:
-
2
ingredients
- 8 ounces medium-sized ripe fresh tomatoes
- coarse salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- 3⁄4 teaspoon fresh thyme leave
- 3 ounces soft mild goat cheese
- 4 ounces uncooked orzo pasta
directions
- Cut the tomatoes into 1/3" cubes; place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme leaves; set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Boil orzo in salted water until tender; drain and return to the pot off the heat; stir until moisture is evaporated; add goat cheese and stir until melted.
- Add half of the tomatoes and all the juices; toss gently to combine and season with salt to taste; pour salad onto serving platter and top with remaining tomatoes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
-
This was wonderful! So little effort for such great flavor. I used cherry tomatoes just because I think they are a little sweeter. I was amazed at how much "juice" came off the tomatoes after they sat for an hour. The goat cheese made it creamy and tangy. Big hit with my family. Thanks sugarpea! -
This was absolutely delicious. I topped it with a number of poached shrimp to make a wonderful light meal. I cannot wait to make this in the summer when my garden will provide the tomatoes. Without the shrimp it would be a lovely side. I will also experiment with herbs - fresh oregano or tarragon would go very well with the goat cheese and tomatoes.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
sugarpea
Snohomish, WA
I’m a former interior designer and landscape designer. At the moment I get to enjoy being at home and working only when I want to. I like rollerblading, hiking, backpacking and trips to the ocean. I grew up on a farm in the Midwest and moved to the Northwest when I was thirty, over twenty years ago. I’m afraid they’ll have to bury me here in WA. This is God’s country and I’m never leaving.
I have a smallish collection of cookbooks, preferring to use the library and a copy machine. Among my favorites though, are: Recipes 1-2-3, by Rozanne Gold, a collection of recipes containing no more than 3 ingredients (excepting water, salt and pepper); A Treasury of Great Recipes, by Mary and Vincent Price, recipes collected from friends and chefs of great restaurants around the world; The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, by Nancy Harmon Jenkins, about a collection of cuisines I’m convinced are the healthiest in the world and The Low-Calorie Gourmet, by Pierre Franey.
Currently my passions are our dogs, the garden, cooking, the natural world and of course, Dh. I can now add Zaar to that list of passions (translate: addiction). We have three dogs, two rescued and one adopted. They are Sugarpea, a Golden Retriever, Chickpea, a Llasa Apso and Sweetpea, a Shih Tzu; small, medium and large. We’re quite a sight out on the trail. One of the things I am most fond of about living here is the ability to vegetable garden year ‘round.
