Summertime Orzo

It's hot here in Boston. It's so hot that you walk outside and you feel as if your are suffocating. It's so hot you step out of the shower and start sweating again. It's so hot that everyone around you has a special "I've been outside" smell. You get the picture? We have every AC on possible (up here in New England not every house is blessed with central AC) and my dog just sprawls out on the floor in front of the fan looking at me as if this is my fault! It's just gross and the last thing you want on this type of day is a heavy meal. So normally I would grill  some corn on the cob and chicken, but we currently have no deck or grill as our decks are being reconstructed. Great timing. So inspired by another dish I saw, I opted for a light lemony dish that is perfect as a side dish for a BBQ or as a meal in itself just by adding some protein. I used my new obsession,sun dried tomato chicken sausage, but my guess is that it would be great with shredded chicken as well.

Ingredients

1 lb of Orzo
15oz box of frozen spinach (hawed and drained)
1 large lemon (zest and juice)
3 Garlic cloves chopped
EVOO
1 cup of Parmesan Cheese
2 Green onions chopped
1 lb of sun dried tomato chicken sausage (casings removed)

Boil salted water and cook Orzo. Drain, but reserve some pasta water in small dish.

In skillet heat EVOO and saute garlic, add ground sausage, cook through. Add pasta into skillet, green onion, spinach, Parmesan cheese, Lemon zest and juice. Use some of the remaining pasta water to help mix ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste!