My husband is very low maintenance. And I love him for it. He will seriously eat anything I make for him. ANYTHING. It’s every chef-wanna-be’s dream come true. I mean, there are very few things he doesn’t like anyway, but even the things he doesn’t like (cauliflower and capers….that’s all I can think of) he will still eat them when I make them (I love them both).

Every Sunday I make a pasta salad for him to take for lunch at work. I make different variations, whatever I’m in the mood to make, but this one pops up a lot because it’s quick, easy and made up of some of my favorite Trader Joe’s products.

He always eats this pasta salad cold, but it is obviously creamier and just as delicious when it’s warm. I’ve used feta in it a lot, but goat cheese is the new preference. The goat cheese does make this dish very creamy and give it a specific tang that is nice. It won’t be creamy if you use feta.

I always get jarred roasted red peppers when I make this because the whole idea is that it’s something simple and delicious that I can throw together, but you can also roast a red pepper yourself. It’s so easy to do! All you do is char the outside of the pepper until the skin is black, seal it in a plastic bag or in a bowl covered with saran wrap for 15 minutes, then peal the skin off. Sealing it lets it steam which makes the skin slip right off. I like to char my peppers over the flame of our gas stove, but you can also broil them, turning every so often so that all sides are thoroughly charred. Either way, keep an eye on it!

I like to use orzo for my husband because I can stuff a lot of it into a small container for him to take to work, so I’m sure he’s getting enough to eat. You can use any pasta you want, though. Whatever is your favorite kind of pasta would work great!

Creamy Orzo Pasta with Goat Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper

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Ingredients

• One package of orzo pasta or pasta of choice
• 6oz of goat cheese
• One handful of fresh parsley
• One package of sun dried tomatoes
• One can artichoke hearts, drained
• One jar of roasted red peppers or one roasted red pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3T balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp honey

Instructions

1. While the water is boiling, quarter the artichoke hearts, chop the sun dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers into little pieces, and chop the parsley and then add it all into a large bowl. Reserve a bit of the parsley to garnish.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper together. Set it aside.
3. When the water is boiling, salt it and cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
4. When the pasta is done, don't rinse it. Just drain it and add directly to the bowl with the chopped ingredients.
5. Pour the dressing over the pasta and crumble in 3/4 of the goat cheese. Mix it all together until the goat cheese is mostly melted into the pasta and it's creamy.
6. When servings, sprinkle more parsley and crumble the rest of the goat cheese over the top.

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https://thecheerfulkitchen.com/creamy-orzo-pasta-with-goat-cheese-sun-dried-tomato-artichokes-and-roasted-red-pepper/

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