Orzo with Wilted Spinach and Pine Nuts

This will be my first time making this recipe. I love spinach and pine nuts, so I really figured it would have to be good! It's from allrecipes.com. I'm planning to reduce the olive oil to 2 tbsp, butter to 1 tbsp, and use 2 cloves of garlic. Also, I will use fresh basil from our garden! I sadly just noticed that I only have 1/2 cup of pine nuts...but doesn't a whole cup seem a little excessive??

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked orzo
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup pine nuts
• 1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 fresh tomato, chopped
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. (Firm or slightly undercooked orzo works best for this dish.) Drain, transfer to a mixing bowl, and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring to blend. Stir in garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes, and reduce heat to medium. Stir in pine nuts and cook until lightly browned. Add spinach, cover, and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.
3. Toss spinach mixture with orzo pasta. Portion onto serving plates with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese and chopped tomatoes. Allow guests to adjust seasoning with salt, as needed. Enjoy!

The result: This one is DEFINITELY a keeper! It was soooo good! I have no regrets about decreasing the oil and butter- I don't think it needed any more. I think you could use different pasta, but it was really good with the orzo. Don't be afraid to use the full 1/2 tsp of hot pepper flakes- it's not too spicy at all. I added the feta, balsamic vinegar, and tomatoes (with a little feta and tomatoes reserved) to the entire dish at the very end, instead of adding it to each portion. This makes a ton, so it would be a good dish for company. I just served it with grilled chicken, but I think it would be nice with a salad, as well. I'll definitely be making this again and again! Next time I might even try the whole cup of pine nuts- forget excess- you can't have too many! :o)