I’m writing this the morning after we got hit with 14″ of snow overnight, but while the weather outside might be trying its best to hold onto winter, the mild season we had caused an early spring, especially in how I’m making food. That being said, did I make a hearty Beef Wellington yesterday because I thought we were going to be trapped in by snow? Yes. Yes I did. It’s
When I think spring, I think the beginning of farmer’s market, lighter dishes, exchanging white wines for red – a whole food shift. I had been thinking about a spring pasta and how to now just make lemon bucatini (but it’s delicious and I’ll still make it) and decided to make a goat cheese and tomato inspired pasta.
This dish comes together pretty easily and you can swap out whatever you’d like. I paired it with some seared and roasted chicken thighs for extra protein, but a salmon filet would be great too.
Recipe is below and I’m very happy to have a big bowl of this in the fridge as I wait for all the snow and ice to melt. Let me know if you make it and how you’re celebrating the changing of the seasons!
Orzo with Goat Cheese and Tomatoes
Ingredients
16 oz bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
1 1/2 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning, or seasoning of choice
8oz Orzo
Kosher salt
1oz Goat Cheese, log form not crumbled
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 lemon, zested and juiced
16oz cherry tomatoes, halved
4oz bag arugula
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F with a shelf on the middle rack. Season the chicken thighs on all sides and place skin side down in a 10″ cast iron skillet. Place the skillet on the stove and heat over medium to medium high. Let sear for 5-6 minutes then transfer to the oven and let bake until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 25 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, place a medium (3 quart+) saucepan on the stove and bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and season heavily with salt. Once boiling, add in the orzo and cook according to package instructions for al dente. Once the pasta is done, reserve some of the water in a measuring cup. Drain the pasta and transfer back into the saucepan.
While the pasta is still hot, stir in the goat cheese, lemon zest, and parsley. This will allow the goat cheese to melt and coat the pasta. If you need to thin it out, add in some of the reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time. Add in the cherry tomatoes, arugula, and onion and mix until combined. Finish with lemon juice to taste and set aside until the chicken is ready.
Once the chicken is done, remove from the oven. Plate up the pasta salad and top with the chicken, removing the bone if you’d like.
Store the chicken and pasta separately for leftovers, and they should keep in the fridge for a few days.
Happy Eating!
Kelly
