Festive Orzo Salad Recipes

SUMMERTIME ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orzo in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes.
• While pasta is cooking, place peas, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, artichokes, and tomato into a large bowl and toss.
• Drain cooked orzo, but do not rinse or cool. Toss hot pasta with the veggies in the bowl and mix in vinegar, seasoning mix, and oil.
• Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight. Serve.

SUMMER ORZO

Steps:

• Cook orzo according to package directions for al dente. Drain orzo; rinse with cold water and drain well. Transfer to a large bowl., In a large nonstick skillet, heat water over medium heat. Add corn; cook and stir until crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes. Add to orzo; stir in tomatoes, feta cheese, cucumber, onion, mint and, if desired, capers. In a small bowl, whisk oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper until blended. Pour over orzo mixture; toss to coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes., Just before serving, stir in almonds.

FESTIVE ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Boil Orzo as directed on package, drain well
• In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup of olive oil to Orzo while cooling to keep pasta from clumping together.
• Add chopped ingredients to cooled (room temperature)orzo and mix lightly. Add remainder of olive oil.
• Add Apple Cider Vinegar to taste mixing lightly.
• Add Feta Cheese and mix.
• Add Salt and Pepper to taste. Be sure to add salt after the Feta Cheese, and taste check often, as Feta Cheese is very salty.
• You can add more or less olive oil to taste.
• Serve at room temperature in a clear bowl to show off colors.
• This can sit out during potlucks and be refrigerated later for wonderful left-overs!

SUMMER ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to high heat.
• Toss the scallions in a bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the scallions until the bulbs are tender and the greens are well-charred, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. (Alternately, you can char the scallions in a cast-iron pan on the stove.) Chop the white and light green parts finely, then discard the remaining ends of the scallions.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the orzo. Drop in the orzo and begin to cook. Meanwhile, add the chopped scallions to a medium bowl. Add the vinegar, Dijon mustard, remaining 1/3 cup olive oil and half of the olives and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
• When the pasta is finished cooking, drain and rinse to cool. Immediately toss in some of the vinaigrette, along with the cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, red onion and remaining olives. Mix well. Add more dressing to taste. Top with the goat cheese and serve.

ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the orzo and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain into a colander, rinse with cold water, drain well, and then transfer to a large bowl.
• Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk until well blended. Pour dressing over the orzo and stir to coat the pasta with the dressing.
• Add the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, Kalamata olives and feta cheese to the salad. Stir to combine. Gently stir in the basil.
• Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately or chill a few hours in the refrigerator before serving.

RAINBOW ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the peppers and onion in a roasting tin and drizzle with half the oil. Roast for 20 mins, adding the tomatoes for the final 5 mins. Leave to cool.
• Cook the orzo following pack instructions, then run under cold water to cool before draining thoroughly. Toss with the vegetables, the remaining oil, the feta and basil. Will keep in the fridge for a few days.