Spring Orzo Salad with Snap Peas
A springtime centerpiece, this salad creates a meal packed with fresh flavors. A vinaigrette made with shallot, lemon, Dijon mustard, and honey pairs with butter lettuce to form a bright base. Snap peas and toasted Marcona almonds provide powerful texture. Fluffy orzo soaks up the dressing, adding robustness to the dish. Simple and quick to create, this layered dish is prime for an Easter meal.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 12 oz snap peas
- 1 cup dry orzo
- 2 heads butter lettuce
- 1 cup Marcona almonds toasted
- 4 oz goat cheese
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp minced shallot
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp honey
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp minced fresh dill
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the orzo according to the package instructions. Once cooked, drain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, and set it aside to cool.1 cup dry orzo
- Blanch the sugar snap peas. Have a large bowl of ice and water ready and set aside to shock the peas once cooked. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the sugar snap peas and cook for 1-2 minutes until they are bright green and crisp-tender. Immediately remove the peas from the hot water and place them in the prepared ice water to stop the cooking and keep the color. Once cooled fully, drain the peas and set them aside to dry fully.12 oz snap peas
- Make the dressing. In a bowl or shaker, combine the shallot, garlic, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, black pepper, parsley, and dill. Whisk to combine. Continue to whisk while drizzling in the olive oil until it is combined and emulsified.2 tbsp minced shallot, 1 clove garlic, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tsp honey, ½ tsp kosher salt, ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley, 1 tbsp minced fresh dill, ⅓ cup olive oil
- In a large bowl or platter, arrange the leaves of the butter lettuce. Some can be torn into smaller pieces depending on personal preference. Season with salt and pepper. Add the dried sugar snap peas and orzo. Toss with dressing to taste. Sprinkle with the Marcona almonds and goat cheese, and serve.2 heads butter lettuce, 1 cup Marcona almonds, 4 oz goat cheese
Video
Notes
Creating an ice bath shocks the snap peas. It stops the cooking, maintaining texture and flavor. This will add freshness to the salad.
Rinse the orzo after cooking it. This removes excess starch from it, making it fluffier. This is atypical to most pasta recipes, but it's because this pasta doesn't need the starch to help pasta cling to it.
To reduce the strength of garlic flavor, soak it in water or acid. Let it sit for 20 minutes before adding additional ingredients. In this case, adding the lemon juice provides enough acid to reduce the stringency.
Tossing the lettuce in the dressing before adding additional ingredients infuses more flavor. It provides a better base for the dish. Adding salt and pepper to the greens does the same.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 392kcal