Summer Nights: Orzo Pasta Salad

It had been almost a whole month since we'd seen the L&O family, which meant it was time for a get-together.  Saturday night we headed over to let the boys wear each other out.

L&O remarked that watching the boys together made her think Little LO should have been a twin.  It made me realize that if Thatbaby had been a twin, we would have been in for a lot of trouble.  Because these two are partners in crime when it comes to wrecking havoc.

I'm thankful they get along, and it really does warm my heart to watch them play together.  There's the typical toddler difficulties in wanting to play with the same toy, and the lack of sharing, but when they play nicely, they are adorable.

 

Mr. LO smoked some delicious chicken, there was corn and salad, and for my contribution, L&O asked if I could bring some pasta salad.  It was a great idea.  I love pasta salad in the summer, and I'm always experimenting with different combinations. For dinner with the L&Os, I tossed together some farfalle, buratta, and tomato.  You can't go wrong with buratta.  But goat cheese is also a great, creamy addition to pasta salad.  This one, with both feta and garbanzo beans makes a great side dish, but also stands on its own.  Perfect for picnics, or an easy summer lunch.

 

Orzo Pasta Salad

8 oz orzo

1/4 cup olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

2 Tbsp chopped dill

1 log of goat cheese

1. Cook orzo according to package directions, drain, and cool.
2. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic in a large bowl.
3. Add the garbanzo beans, orzo, and dill to the dressing and toss to coat.
4. Crumble the goat cheese over the pasta salad, stirring to combine.