Orzo Salad: How To Make A To Die For Recipe That’s So Easy

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Orzo salad is a light, refreshing salad perfect for summer. Topped with a delicious dressing and filled with fresh veggies.

Who doesn’t love summer salads? But, this one surprised me the most!

Orzo is a pasta that looks like rice. There are many different versions of this salad but for summer the salad should be kept light and refreshing.

Using fresh herbs and a touch of lemon for the dressing this will be a hit at BBQ, cookouts, picnics or summer potlucks.

Let’s dive in how to put this salad together, look below.

How To Make Orzo Salad

Check off these ingredients first

• Orzo pasta
• Feta cheese
• Red onion
• Cucumber
• Kalmata olives
• Olive oil
• Basil
• Oregano
• Cherry tomatoes
• Salt & black pepper to taste

How to cook orzo for salad

Orzo is a pasta and should be cooked like pasta. However, you will see you can cook orzo like rice or rice pilaf. For ease, we are going to cook orzo like pasta for this orzo salad recipe.

1. Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Measure out 1 cup of dry orzo pasta.
2. Season the water with salt, about 1 tablespoon. Pour in the orzo pasta and give the pasta a stir. Lower the heat slightly so that the water has a calm boil to it. This way when you are not stirring the pasta is still circulating in the water.
3. Continue to stir occasionally, cooking the pasta until it has doubled in size. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
4. Test a piece to make sure the pasta is cooked through. Remove from heat and drain pasta then rinse with cold water. Allow to cool before making the orzo salad.

Making the orzo salad recipe

1. To start, prep the veggies. The pasta should be cool now so you can toss that into a large bowl.
2. You do not have to slice the olives like I did in the photo. You can leave whole if you want but I would not want my guess having a bite of a huge olive. Halving the olives the short or long way would be perfect to avoid this.
3. Next, dice your onion, halve the tomatoes and slice your cucumber up into quarters. Depending on the size of the cucumber you may be able to use the entire cucumber.
4. In the bowl add all of the ingredients except the dressing. Zest a lemon over the salad then sit to the side because you will use it for the dressing.
5. To make the dressing chop up basil and oregano. Measure out half a cup each then toss in a blender. Pour in olive oil and juice of half a lemon. Lastly, add in salt and black pepper.
6. Pour dressing over the salad and mix well. Taste for salt and serve.

Storing leftovers from the salad

Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. You can store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days due to the fresh veggies.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is orzo a rice or a pasta?

Orzo is a pasta* which is made from flour. Rice is a grain made from wheat. Orzo can be made with whole grain for an healthier option with great fiber.

Can you make orzo salad ahead of time?

Yes, this salad can be made ahead of time. It will work very well being made the day before or a few hours earlier than needed. And due to the orzo pasta you don’t have to worry about all that excess water that comes from salads over time.