ORZO + BROCCOLI PESTO SALAD
Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 2:42PM 
I have been a long time admirer of Heidi, creator of the eversopopular 101cookbooks. I started off my food blog interest, knowing of only two sites, Heidi's being one of them. Her taste in food is similar to mine, so I read (and still read) every post with full attention. I like to cook with whole grains and lots of produce; keeping food fresh and natural, while not compromising flavor. She has been a pioneer of that style in the food blog world, reminding readers that food that is good for you, does not end at steamed vegetables and a dry protein. Heidi is creative, kind, and relatable in the way she presents her recipes. She emphasizes on her site and in her new book Super Natural Every Day, that recipes are there to offer ideas and get you started, but always open for change. The book is full of helpful tips, great recipes, and room for you to make them your own. It is not short of beautiful images and her humble personality is woven through every page.
This recipe caught my eye as I was thinking of something to bring on a picnic with my sister in law and sweet little niece. It travels well and is packed with flavor. I only made a few changes, to avoid yet another trip to the store. I swapped in walnuts for the suggested pine nuts, added chopped cilantro, and tossed in some adzuki beans for a little extra protein. I am going to write Heidi's recipe as given in the book, and you can make your adjustments as you desire.
ORZO + BROCCOLI PESTO SALAD // Serves 6
Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson
1 Cup Whole Grain Orzo
5 Cups Raw Broccoli, cut into small florets
2 Cloves of Garlic
2/3 Cup Pinenuts, toasted
1/3 Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Juice of one Lemon
1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Creme Fraiche
Grated Zest of one Lemon
1 Large Avocado, sliced
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously. Add the orzo and cook according to package instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
2. In the meantime, cook the broccoli. Bring about a cup of water to a boil in a large pot with a pinch of salt. Stir in the broccoli, put the lid on and cook for one to two minutes, just long enough to take the edge off. Quickly drain the broccoli, and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.
3. To make the pesto, combine 2 cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, most of the nuts, parmesan, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp. of the lemon juice and pulse in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and creme fraiche and pulse until smooth.
4. Toss the orzo, remaining cooked broccoli florets, about 2/3 of the pesto and the lemon zest. Taste it and add what you like - more lemon, salt, the rest of the pesto. Fold in the avocado and top with the remaining nuts and a bit of extra parmesan if you prefer.
Reader Comments (69)
I adore this recipe! Discovered it on 101 awhile back and it is still the best use of broccoli i've seen to date. glad to have stumbled upon your beautiful site -- am in love with that lemon zest photo, reminds me of the curlicues i used to doodle all over my notebooks :)
[...] hankering for greens has been appeased (twice) with this Orzo and Broccoli Pesto Salad, my own crunchy mish mash of green things in a bowl and Deb’s Green Beans with Quickle Red [...]
Sounds positively delicious! I must try this!!
[...] Sprouted Kitchen shares a twist on the Orzo Salad, and posts my favorite zest photo [...]
[...] Orzo and Broccoli Pesto Salad *note: I added in some chicken for protein and substituted Creme Fraiche for plain yogurt so I [...]
Yum! I cannot wait to make this!
Yum! Another great dish! I love Heidi's recipes!
this book is fantastic! I bought it a few weeks ago & have been making things from it non-stop. definitely try the baked oatmeal if you haven't yet... I opted for maple syrup & almond milk. delicious. beautiful post as always.
i had the pleasure of meeting heidi on friday at her book signing here in portland, and i can attest she is as lovely in person as she is in print! i, too, have been a long-time admirer hers and ardent follower of her website. her double-broccoli quinioa is one that i go back to over and over.
your website is equally as beautiful and inspiring as hers. and this recipe looks fabulous. thanks for sharing!
[...] Sprouted Kitchen shares a twist on the Orzo Salad, and posts my favorite zest photo [...]
Thanks, it was perfect.
i used sliced almonds since pine nuts is so expensive these days :)
oh and i forgot the avocado ...oups
the whole family loved this especially my 2 years old son :)
thanks again
[...] up is Orzo + Broccoli Pesto Salad from Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson of [...]
[...] week I made Orzo + Broccoli Pesto Salad from Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson of [...]
i need more orzo in my life
[...] leaf for the greens in the pesto or other nuts or other cheese. I was inspired by Sara’s broccoli pesto salad on Sprouted [...]
Thanks for an awesome post about orzo! I linked it to my post about great orzo recipes (since I can't cook orzo for the life of me;) ) Would it be okay to use one of your photos as a photo-link if I give proper credit?
[...] Orzo and broccoli salad from Sprouted Kitchen [...]
[...] this Orzo Salad with Broccoli pesto + Avocado via Sprouted Kitchen…yes [...]
This looks fantastic - broccoli is one of my all time favorite [power] foods. My question is where to find whole wheat orzo? I love orzo but try to avoid white flour as much as possible. I've never seen a whole wheat orzo in stores.