Lemon Mint Orzo Salad Recipes

LEMONY ORZO AND ROASTED CORN SALAD

Steps:

• Heat the oven broiler on high. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• In the pot of water, cook the orzo according to package directions and drain.
• While orzo is cooking, toss the corn in the olive oil and layer on a rimmed bake sheet. Broil until golden, stirring regularly. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette.
• In a large bowl, toss the orzo, corn, parsley, and green onion. Toss in the vinaigrette. Taste for seasoning and add more salt as necessary. Garnish with cheese, parsley, and pepper. Serve.

LEMONY FARRO PASTA SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE AND MINT

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add farro and bay leaves and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add orzo to the pot and continue to simmer until farro and pasta are cooked through but still al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes longer.
• While farro is cooking, prepare the dressing: Finely grate zest from the lemons, and place zest in a large bowl. Squeeze juice from 1 1/2 lemons and add to zest along with salt, pepper and red-pepper flakes, whisking to combine. Gradually whisk in oil. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice from the other lemon half, or both, if needed.
• Drain farro-pasta mixture, discarding bay leaves. Add to bowl with dressing and toss well. Stir in apricots. Let farro and pasta cool, soaking up the dressing. This can be done up to 1 day in advance. Store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before proceeding.
• In a small bowl, combine onions, celery, 3 tablespoons lemon juice and a large pinch of salt. Let sit while the pasta cools, at least 20 minutes.
• Just before serving, add onion mixture and almonds to the bowl with the farro and pasta and toss well. Gently fold in spinach, goat cheese, mint and parsley. Taste and add more lemon, red-pepper flakes or salt if needed.
• Drizzle with olive oil and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

LEMON MINT ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in salted water until tender but not mushy. Drain and rinse with cold water. Let stand for 10 minutes to drain completely.
• Add the pasta to a bowl along with the diced red pepper.
• To make the dressing whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, mint, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper.
• Pour the dressing over the pasta and peppers and toss together well. Refrigerate for an hour before serving, tossing the pasta salad at least a couple of times during the chilling time.

ORZO SALAD WITH MINT & LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Cook orzo based on the package direction, while pasta is cooking make vinaigrette.
• For the vinaigrette
• Add lemon, zest, honey and salt and pepper and whisk well, drizzle in olive oil and add chopped mint last. Set aside.
• To Assemble
• Place spinach at the bottom of colander and drain hot pasta over spinach to lightly wilt.
• In a large mixing bowl add pasta mixture, bell pepper, onion and cucumber and combine.
• Stir in vinaigrette and combine to coat with dressing.
• Last add the feta cheese and mix one last time.

LEMON ORZO

Steps:

• Simmer 1 cup orzo in a saucepan with 2 1/2 cups water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried mint, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon paprika and 2 strips lemon zest, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Stir in 2 chopped scallions, the juice of 1 lemon, and salt to taste.

WARM ORZO SALAD WITH MINT AND FETA

Steps:

• In large pot of boiling, salted water, cook orzo per package directions. When orzo is al dente, remove from heat and add frozen peas to cooking water. Let sit for 1 minute.
• Drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serve warm.

LEMON ORZO

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, peel off two large strips of lemon zest.
• Bring orzo, broth, oregano and lemon zest to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 13-15 minutes uncovered until the orzo is tender.
• Remove from heat and stir in butter. Rest 5 minutes.
• Juice half of the lemon over the orzo, add mint or parsley and stir. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

EASY LEMON ORZO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook orzo in very salty water until just barely al dente.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
• Drain orzo and set aside.
• While the orzo cooks, use a microplane to zest your lemon. Place zest into a large mixing bowl.
• Cut zested lemon in half and squeeze lemon juice into your mixing bowl. Be careful not to let any lemon seeds fall into the bowl!
• Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Add reserved 1/2 cup pasta water to your lemon juice mixture and whisk to combine. The sauce will look watery, but don't worry - the orzo will soak the liquid up as it cools!
• Add cooked, drained orzo to lemon juice mixture and stir to combine.
• Let orzo cool for 10-15 minutes.
• Add basil and tomatoes to orzo. Stir to combine. Taste and add salt or pepper as necessary.
• Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and chill until ready to serve. Top with an extra sprig of basil for garnish if you like.

LEMON ORZO WITH MINT

Steps:

• In a medium sized pot, bring water to a boil and add the salt, Orzo, paprika.
• Lower to a simmer and cook, covered,12-15 minutes or until tender,.
• stirring occasionally.
• Let cool slightly and then add the mint, lemon zest/juice and green onions.
• Check for seasoning.
• Serve.

BASIL & MINT ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Pour the broth into a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes.
• Drain the orzo and transfer to a large wide bowl. Set aside to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, pepper and oil in a blender; pour over pasta and mix well.
• Add tomatoes, onion, basil and mint; stir well. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

CHICKEN ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
• To a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, chicken, evenly season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and lightly golden browned. Stir and flip intermittently to ensure all sides cook evenly. I used thin-sliced chicken breasts which cook quickly. Cooking time will vary based on thickness of chicken. Transfer the chicken and cooking juices to the bowl with the orzo.
• Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, parsley, basil, and stir to combine; set aside.
• To a small bowl, add 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and whisk to combine. Taste vinaigrette and check for seasoning balance; add more salt, honey, lemon juice, etc. to taste.
• Evenly drizzle the vinaigrette over the orzo bowl, stir to coat evenly, and either serve immediately or cover with plasticwrap and refrigerate before serving.

ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, or until slightly past al dente. Drain the orzo and toss it with a little olive oil, so that it doesn't stick together. Spread onto a baking sheet to cool.
• Prepare the Greek Salad Dressing and add in the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, and sea salt.
• In a large bowl, toss together the cooked orzo, cucumbers, tomatoes, chickpeas, feta, red onion, and olives. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, add half the herbs, season with freshly ground black pepper, and toss to coat. Garnish with the remaining herbs and serve.

ORZO WITH PEAS AND MINT

Steps:

• Cook orzo according to package directions. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and lemon zest, and saute until translucent.
• Add peas, and cook until bright green and tender, adding a little water if shallots brown before peas are tender.
• Add cooked orzo, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Remove from heat, and stir in mint.

RAINBOW ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the red pepper, mango, cucumber, red onion, garlic, chickpeas, herbs, salt, and several grinds of fresh black pepper.
• Cook the orzo according to the package directions or until al dente. Drain, gently rinse, toss with a little olive oil oil and set aside to cool to room temp before adding to the salad.
• Make the dressing. In a small bowl, stir together the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, cumin, sweet paprika, salt and pepper. Add a few tablespoons of water until it's a drizzle-able consistency.
• Add the orzo, dressing, and arugula to the salad and toss to coat. Season to taste and top with toasted pine nuts.