Chicken and Spinach Pesto Orzo Salad

Name: Chicken and Spinach Pesto Orzo Salad
Total time: 33 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 0.333 cup Pine nuts; 4 cups baby Spinach (rinsed and stems trimmed); 2 cloves garlic cloves (peeled and pressed); 0.667 cup grated Parmesan (packed); 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice; salt (to taste); 4 Tbsps good-quality olive oil; freshly ground Black pepper (to taste); 2.333 cups Orzo; 2 cups cooked Chicken breasts (cut into bite-size pieces); 3 cups cherry Tomatoes (rinsed and halved); 2 handfuls Baby spinach (stems trimmed); 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice; salt (to taste); freshly ground Black pepper (to taste)

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Health Score:

93 / 100

Difficulty:

easy

Difficulty

Preparation:

25 min.

Preparation

ready in 33 min.

Ready in

Calories:

402

calories

Calories

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Nutritional values

1 serving contains
(Percentage of daily recommendation)

Calorie	402 cal.	(19 %)
Protein	26 g	(27 %)
Fat	9 g	(8 %)
Carbohydrates	52 g	(35 %)
Sugar added	0 g	(0 %)
Roughage	4.9 g	(16 %)

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more nutritional values

Vitamin A	0.3 mg	(38 %)
Vitamin D	0 μg	(0 %)
Vitamin E	2 mg	(17 %)
Vitamin K	82.3 μg	(137 %)
Vitamin B₁	0.2 mg	(20 %)
Vitamin B₂	0.2 mg	(18 %)
Niacin	13.2 mg	(110 %)
Vitamin B₆	0.5 mg	(36 %)
Folate	76 μg	(25 %)
Pantothenic acid	1 mg	(17 %)
Biotin	6 μg	(13 %)
Vitamin B₁₂	0.3 μg	(10 %)
Vitamin C	22 mg	(23 %)
Potassium	578 mg	(14 %)
Calcium	113 mg	(11 %)
Magnesium	84 mg	(28 %)
Iron	2.9 mg	(19 %)
Iodine	8 μg	(4 %)
Zinc	2.3 mg	(29 %)
Saturated fatty acids	2.2 g
Uric acid	169 mg
Cholesterol	41 mg
Complete sugar	2 g

Author of this recipe:

EAT-SMARTER

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Ingredients

for

servings

For Spinach Pesto: 0.333 cup Pine nuts; 4 cups baby Spinach (rinsed and stems trimmed); 2 cloves garlic cloves (peeled and pressed); ⅔ cup grated Parmesan (packed); 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice; salt (to taste); 4 Tbsps good-quality olive oil; freshly ground Black pepper (to taste)

For Orzo Salad: 2.333 cups Orzo; 2 cups cooked Chicken breasts (cut into bite-size pieces); 3 cups cherry Tomatoes (rinsed and halved); 2 handfuls Baby spinach (stems trimmed); 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice; salt (to taste); freshly ground Black pepper (to taste)

How healthy are the main ingredients?

Chicken breast Tomato Spinach Parmesan olive oil Pine nuts

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Preparation steps

For Spinach Pesto:

Dry roast the pine nuts in a nonstick skillet set over medium heat, shaking the skillet back and forth until the pine nuts are golden brown. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a food processor, arrange the spinach, garlic, toasted pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the oil over the top and puree until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

For Orzo Salad:

Cook the orzo in a pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain well and immediately combine with the pesto; mixing well.

Add the chicken, cherry tomatoes, spinach and lemon juice to the pasta. Stir gently to combine. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and/or lemon juice as needed. Chill prior to serving.