Spinach Orzo Salad

I went to a potluck on Saturday that I was not aware of until late friday night...so had to make something quick and easy and would feed a good amount of people. I also had to get my car setup for gettaround (sign up if you're at ucsd) so I was carless and making food at Alex and Elliot's place. Interesting because I didn't know where any of their bowls were, or their utensils/ they are not exactly the cleanest boys so everything was in the sink or sitting on the table etc...

But this is a dead simple recipe which you can do for under $8 to feed like 8 people even under dire circumstances.

Taken from all recipes with a few minor changes. http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/spinach-and-orzo-salad/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 1 (16 oz) package uncooked orzo pasta
• 1 (10 oz) package baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
• 1 large cucumber, diced
• 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 pound crumbled feta cheese (optionally with mediterranean spices, found some at Trader Joes)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in spinach, feta, cucumber, tomato, basil, thyme, and oregano. Toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Refrigerate and serve cold.

I ended up leaving half of this salad with the boys and some for the mechanic working on my car. It makes a lot :D