Orzo with Grilled Shrimp and Pesto Viniagrette

So, we haven't done a recipe post in a while because, well, to be honest, they're not our forte. I love to cook and to share good recipes when I come across them, but getting a good photo of a really great recipe is not always easy (and delays dinner time)...but this time everything came together and this recipe is too good to not share.

Orzo with Grilled Shrimp and Pesto Viniagrette

Makes 4 servings if served as an entree, 6-8 servings if served as a side dish

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups orzo

4 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for grilling/sauteing 

4 Tbsp red wine vinegar, divided

1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch slices

3 Tbsp purchased pesto

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 lb. uncooked large shrimp, peeled & deveined

4 links chicken sausage (or other preferred sausage), sliced into 1/2" thick rounds

2 good tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

About 2 cups baby spinach, torn roughly

1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

1 8-oz ball of fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Preparation

Cook orzo according to package, until still slightly firm to bite.  Drain.  Rinse with cool water to stop cooking, drain again.  Transfer to large bowl and toss with 1 Tbsp olive oil.

Heat grill (or skillet if you do not have a grill or good ventilation) on medium-high heat.  Whisk pesto, lime juice, 3 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp vinegar in a small bowl to make viniagrette.  Toss sliced bell peppers and peeled shrimp in 2 Tbsp of viniagrette.  Set the rest of the viniagrette aside.

Grill (or saute) sausage in a splash of olive oil to brown and heat through (if sausage is not pre-cooked, be sure to cook it through according to instructions).  Remove sausage from heat and add to bowl with orzo.  Using the same grill or skillet, grill or saute shrimp and bell peppers (add more olive oil to pan if necessary) until shrimp is cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove from heat, add shrimp to bowl with orzo, set peppers aside to cool slightly.

Add chopped tomato, sliced basil, torn spinach, and cubed mozzarella to bowl with orzo.  Cut slightly cooled bell peppers into bite-sized pieces and add to bowl.  Add the remaining viniagrette and toss to combine.  

Can be served immediately or allowed to cool to room temperature.  Omit the sausage and it chills well to be a cold summer salad.  

Notes

I typically use this spicy chicken sausage (because I never met a jalapeno I didn't like), but a roasted red pepper or sun-dried tomato flavor would be great too.

The original recipe calls for zucchini or squash, but neither of those are my favorite texture, so I've added spinach for nutritional value.

Remaining pesto can be frozen in pre-measured quantities for future use (ice cube trays work well for this, or simply a freezer bag).

Enjoy!