Ingredients

Orzo pasta, save some pasta water
Sausage links – preferably spicy and smoked
zucchini, sliced
~1 cup of black olives, sliced
feta cheese – go for nonfat for healthy option
bell pepper (any color but green), chopped
sundried tomatoes
sweet or red onion, finely chopped
½ large or 1 small lemon
black pepper
garlic salt
olive oil
fresh basil (optional)

Directions

1. Finely chop onion and add to large mixing bowl. Slice black olives which are just fine from a can (just be sure to drain juices so it’s less messy when you cut them!). Chop the bell pepper into small bite sized pieces and add into the bowl as well. Roughly chop a couple large spoonfuls of sundried or sunkissed tomatoes from a jar. Feel free to add a little of the oil into the mixing bowl as well. Then crumble in the feta cheese as well (roughly 1 cup or as much as you’d like!).
2. Bring pot of water to a boil with salt. Meanwhile, thinly slice the zucchini. If you’d prefer, you could cut smaller pieces but I usually just slice them up. Cook your sausage links on a pan. If they are smoked then they won’t take long – maybe a few minutes on each side. Set them aside to cool before slicing. Add some olive oil and cook your zucchini. Season with a little garlic salt and black pepper. Cook until soft. Your water should be boiling now. Cook the orzo for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.
3. When the zucchini is finished, add to the mixing bowl. Slice the sausage and add in as well. When the orzo is almost done, put a couple spoonfuls of the pasta liquid to your mixing bowl. This will help to make the whole thing a little creamy. Drain the pasta and add to the bowl immediately. Drizzle with olive oil, squeeze in the lemon juice and season with black pepper. The feta will be salty already, so mix, taste and season with salt if needed. This can be eaten warm or cold – enjoy!

Notes

• Could be made with asparagus as well.
• Instead of sausage you could use salami or prosciutto. But the spicy sausage adds a really nice kick to this dish.
• I find orange and yellow bell peppers to be sweeter than red and green.
• Non-fat feta had lower calories than reduced-fat. If I’m feeling indulgent I’ll go for full fat and get the Mediterranean or garlic-herb flavor. 

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