Chrissy Teigen's Cauliflower Feta Orzo Salad

I have talked on here about our cookbook club before. We pick one cookbook a year and the group gets together bimonthly to try out as many recipes as we can over the course of the year.  Our cookbook this year is Chrissy Teigen's Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat. 

This past Monday the girls got together and I made her Cauliflower Feta Orzo salad. It was super simple to put together. I even took the shortcut of buying my cauliflower already chopped up.  This made a ton, so it would feed a big crowd.

Here's the recipe:

For the CAULIFLOWER AND ORZO:

1 small head cauliflower, broken into small florets (about 5 cups)

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup orzo pasta

For the DRESSING AND SALAD:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup crumbled feta cheese (see Note)

2/3 cup dried cherries

4 cups baby spinach

Cooking Directions

PREPARE THE CAULIFLOWER AND ORZO: Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a bowl, toss the cauliflower with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic, salt, and pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until softened and the edges are charred, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a pot of salted boiling water, cook the orzo according to the package directions, but for 1 or 2 minutes less than called for (so it’s just a little underdone). Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water, drain well, and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil right in the colander.

MAKE THE DRESSING AND TOSS THE SALAD: In a big bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked orzo, roasted cauliflower, onion, feta, and cherries and toss until coated with the dressing. Throw the spinach on top and toss one more time. Taste, and add more salt if you’d like.

Just a few notes: I bought crumbled cauliflower to save myself the step of washing it and cutting it (read: lazy smart) and I added some walnuts for some crunch.

My two other favorites from the night were her Mac and Cheese and Butternut Squash soup. Both were amazingly decadent.

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This post does contain affiliate links, but I promise I love the cookbook!