Garden Orzo Salad Recipes

MEDITERRANEAN 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 9 minutes. Drain well. Rinse with cold water and drain well again.
• Combine orzo, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, olives, and Asiago cheese in a large bowl.
• Whisk garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl to make the vinaigrette. Drizzle over the orzo mixture and toss lightly to combine. Add basil and parsley and mix well. Let sit for 20 minutes for flavors to blend, stirring occasionally.

ORZO WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.
• Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.
• For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

GARDEN ORZO RISOTTO

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute zucchini and shallot in oil until almost tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the orzo, broth and milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook and stir for 10-15 minutes or until liquid is almost absorbed., Stir in the spinach, tomatoes and basil; cook and stir until spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat; stir in the cheese, salt and pepper.

ORZO VEGETABLE SALAD

Steps:

• Cook orzo according to package directions., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, artichokes, spinach, onions, cheese and capers. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients., Drain orzo and rinse in cold water. Add to vegetable mixture., Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat. Chill until serving.

INA GARTEN ORZO SALAD WITH FETA

Steps:

• Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk, or put in a jar and shake. Store in the refrigerator.
• Melt butter and olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add orzo and red onions to melted butter and sauté until red onions are soft, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Stir in the chicken broth, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook orzo until al dente, 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently in the last couple of minutes to prevent burning.
• Drain orzo if there is leftover liquid. Transfer to a large bowl and place in the refrigerator while you chop your vegetables.
• Mix the orzo with all the salad ingredients, followed by the dressing. Mix well.
• To taste, add additional lemon juice or salt and pepper as needed.

GARDEN HERB ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook orzo according to directions for al dente. I used Garafalo brand orzo and it cooks perfectly in 9 minutes.
• While orzo is cooking, chop the red onion, Kalamata olives and Roasted Red Peppers. I don't chop too finely, but that is a matter of personal choice.
• Once the orzo is done, drain it and put it into a large work bowl.
• While orzo is hot, add 1/4 of the bottle of Newmans's Balsamic Vinaigrette. Stir.
• Next, while the orzo is still hot, add the goat cheese. IF the cheese comes in a log, you may want to slice it before adding. Blend.
• It's important to add the goat cheese while the orzo is hot. This allows it to blend and become part of the dressing. It takes a few minutes to make sure the goat cheese and dressing blend well. There will not be a lot of sauce. The pasta may be a bit dry at this point.
• Once the goat cheese is all blended, add the olives, onion and peppers. Mix well.
• Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix. Salad will not be very wet. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
• Gather the fresh herbs, rinse them and finely chop. You should have about 1/4 cup once all the herbs are finely chopped.
• Add the herbs to the salad and blend.
• Add another 1/4 of the bottle of balsamic dressing and mix.
• Salt & pepper to taste. I don't use too much salt as I feel the olives can be somewhat salty.
• You can add a bit more olive oil if needed. I usually add a few splashes at the end.
• This salad is not dripping in dressing. If you prefer more liquid, feel free to use more of the balsamic dressing.
• I let this salad rest for a few hours for flavors to meld.
• I think it is best served at room temperature.
• Feel free to experiment with whatever herbs you like or have on hand. I think the key is to use fresh herbs for this salad.