Reviewed: May 12, 2008

A solid recipe. It was very colorful and the balsamic vinegar and feta cheese are a very nice combination. I used a 12 oz. bag of baby spinach as others have suggested. Fresh basil along with the pine nuts which I browned pretty well, gave it great flavor.

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daveycooks

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Wayne, New Jersey, USA

Living In: Hawthorne, New Jersey, USA

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Reviewed: May 12, 2008

This recipe is so good and so easy! I made it for Mother's Day and my mom loved it. I made a few changes per other reviews. I reduced the oil to 1/4 cup, I boiled my orzo in chicken stock, I used about 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes instead of fresh and added them a few minutes after the pine nuts and I mixed the feta and balsalmic into the whole pot right before serving. I will make this again and again for sure!

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Ker-Bear

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Reviewed: May 6, 2008

Really great recipe, great way to use the spinach in our garden! My husband loved it. I was out of Feta so just sprinkled with some Mozzerella and Parmesan. Also sprinkled with pink salt crystals for a little texture. Will use much less oil next time.

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1NETLADY

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Reviewed: Mar. 31, 2008

Good recipe, way to much oil, cut back per other reviews.

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prell2k4

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Living In: Sterling, Virginia, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 26, 2008

Wow! This was so simple for how great it tastes! Extra tomatoes and feta would be even better.

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robandruthanne

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Reviewed: Feb. 11, 2008

This has an elegant appearance but my family nor I was crazy about the taste. It was far too rich and oily tasting for my liking.

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Ocean Girl

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Reviewed: Feb. 8, 2008

OH MY! This is so good I can't even tell you!!! I didn't have orzo, so I just used rotini and it turned out absolutely wonderful!!!!! I definitely will be making this again. (I used a way less oil though)

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Michelle

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Plano, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 29, 2008

I made this recipe to go with a fish dinner and it was great. I did alter it a bit because the fish had feta cheese and tomatoes in it. I added fresh, sliced mushrooms to the pine nuts before adding the spinach. Once on the plate, I put some of the tomatoes and feta cheese from the fish over the orzo - it made a very nice presentation and the orzo still got the tomato and feta taste as well.

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susie

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Reviewed: Dec. 15, 2007

Not only is this dish delicious, it looks elegant. I brought it to a Christmas party potluck and it was a big hit. Based on the reviews, I cooked the Orzo (al dente) in chix broth. I used a little less EEOV than called for. After lightly browning the pine nuts I added about an 1/8th of a c. of dry white wine, and then only slightly wilted the spinach before tossing the mixture with the orzo. I also added some finely chopped sundried tomatoes in addition to the regular tomato. I sprinkled the balsamic vinegar and the feta (used tomato/basil feta) just before serving. I did not use the full amount of balsamic called for as I was concerned the flavor would be overpowering.

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CYNDI43

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA

Living In: Farmingdale, Maine, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 4, 2007

Through the roof, wonderful-- even better the next day, either reheated or cold over salad. Just added a bit of extra garlic, since we're garlic nuts in our house! Thank you so much~ this is one recipe I'll use again and again!

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6BATCHES

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Medford, New York, USA

Living In: Middletown, Rhode Island, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 18, 2007

This dish is sooooooo yummy! I used less olive oil and it still tasted great! Definitely a keeper!

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tofu19

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Living In: Sunnyvale, California, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 10, 2007

Each year at the beach, we take turns making dinner for the house, 9 adults & 7 kids. This year I tried this recipe for my meal, even though I never made it before. I did not use tomatoes, but did every else per the directions, it was wonderful and will be making it many more times. It is great to make the risotto shortly before serving and then tossing everything together just before serving. Since it is great hot or at room temperature it is great for large dinner parties.

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J Vinson

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Reviewed: Sep. 23, 2007

Definitely needed more spinach. I also added some shallots and cut back slightly on the red pepper the second time I made this. A good start though.

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UNIVERSALDUDE5

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Memphis, Tennessee, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 6, 2007

This is delicious!! Everyone liked it. Will make again.

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kateh

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Medford Lakes, New Jersey, USA

Living In: Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 16, 2007

I am telling you, this dish is outstanding! I started making this last summer and it has become my signature dish around town, my friends ask me to bring it to EVERY party, infact im making it for the zillionth time on Saturday. I add the tomatos, feta and balsamic (just a dash, too much overwhelms the dish and changes the flavor) to the orzo all at once, it makes for a beautiful presentation, and absolutley delicious!

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Lori

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Reviewed: Aug. 13, 2007

I love orzo pasta and I was eager to try this. It was just OK. I only used 1/3 cup of oil, but it was still too much for my liking. Other reviewers are correct...it was bland. Next time, I will add onions, maybe green peppers, and more balsamic vinegar.

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Katy S

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Reviewed: Jul. 6, 2007

I was missing some ingredients (tomatoes and pine nuts) so I added black beans and chopped olives (variety). Delicious and so easy to make. I found that the spinach wilts quickly just tossing in the pan and did not need to cover for 5 minutes.

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kimhuang

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Reviewed: Jun. 29, 2007

This recipe is FANTASTIC. I've made it about four times and get rave reviews from everyone, including my brother, the skeptic. I don't change a thing, other than that I go ahead and toss the feta and chopped tomatoes in with everything else at the end, but do splash the balsamic on individually. This is a recipe that has top billing in my recipe box.

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summer_aggies00

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jun. 26, 2007

I made this recipe for dinner tonight and really enjoyed it. I made just a few alterations, and used extra of all the herbs, and a bit larger drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I added a bit of chicken boullion with the herbs/oil/butter mixture, and I did not have orzo pasta so I just used angel hair (still yummy with it!). I also didn't have quite half of a tomato, but I used what I had on hand anyway. Instead of fresh garlic (which I also didn't have) I used garlic powder, and at the time you would normally saute the garlic I sauteed red onion as a tasty addition to the recipe. I also added the chopped tomato to the wilted spinach mixture right before tossing it with the pasta, to warm the tomato slightly. So yummy! I'll definitely recommend this to friends.

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