Orzo pasta salad made with all the normal Greek flavors you like and is an excellent straightforward aspect dish that you may make forward of time to your subsequent potluck!
Juicy cherry tomatoes, tangy feta cheese, purple onions, roasted chickpeas and black olives all coated in a do-it-yourself salad dressing made with recent lemon juice. This pasta salad is so shiny and recent!
We’ve a conventional Greek pasta salad on the weblog, however I’m fairly obsessive about this orzo model. Identical to I’m obsessive about our lemon orzo with parmesan and peas! Orzo is simply so enjoyable and so versatile!
What’s Orzo?
Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that may be historically ready as pasta or cooked and served in a lot the identical method as rice.
Substances Wanted to Make Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
In most grocery shops, you stroll in and also you’re within the produce part. So seize a couple of plastic produce luggage and knock off half this checklist proper there:
Chickpeas
- Chickpeas: roasting chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, provides an incredible crunchy texture to the salad and is excessive in plant-based protein
- Olive Oil: helps roast the chickpeas
- Cumin: provides taste
- Smoked Paprika: provides taste and smokiness
- Salt: provides taste
Dressing
- Olive Oil: the bottom of the dressing, additional virgin olive oil is most well-liked
- Garlic: provides taste
- Pink Wine Vinegar: provides acid and tanginess to the dressing
- Lemon Zest and Juice: provides freshness, acidity and taste
- Dijon Mustard: provides zesty taste and acts as an emulsifier for the oil and vinegar
- Oregano: recent is extremely beneficial however if you wish to use dried oregano, go together with 1 teaspoon
- Dill: recent dill is greatest, however in the event you should use dried, go together with 1/2 teaspoon
- Salt and Black Pepper: provides taste and enhances all of the substances
Salad
- Pink Onion: provides taste and crunchy texture
- Pink Wine Vinegar: helps pickle the onions
- Orzo: You’ll discover orzo proper subsequent to all of your different pastas, and do not forget that you’re searching for a pasta that appears like rice.
- Olive Oil: helps toast the orzo and sauté the garlic
- Garlic: provides taste
- Hen Broth: cooks the orzo
- Lemon Zest and Juice: provides freshness and taste
- Cracked Pepper: provides a little bit warmth
- Salt: provides taste
- Feta: I like to purchase a block of feta after which crumble it up myself.
- Grape Tomatoes: sliced in half
- Solar Dried Tomatoes: drained from their oil and roughly chopped
- Spinach: recent and roughly chopped
- Cucumber: We favor English cucumber since you don’t should peel it and it’s much less seedy.
- Black Olives: if you wish to use extra classically Greek flavors, use Kalamata olives
- Calabrese Salami: provides richness and heartiness to the salad
- Parmesan Cheese: freshly grated is greatest
- Parsley: recent herbs are most well-liked, provides shiny herby freshness
That is simply an summary of all of the substances wanted for this recipe. The complete recipe with all of the measurements and particulars is beneath so hold scrolling!
Make Greek Pasta Salad
Scroll all the way down to the recipe card to get all of the specifics of methods to make the pasta. Listed here are the fundamentals:
- Season and roast the chickpeas.
- Make the dressing.
- Begin the onions pickling.
- Toast the dry orzo in a little bit oil on the range prime.
- Add the garlic after which cook dinner the pasta in rooster broth.
- Rinse and drain the onion.
- Add all of the remaining substances, toss with the lemon French dressing to coat and serve.
All of the directions in full element may be discovered within the recipe card on the finish of the publish.
Suggestions for Making Excellent Orzo Pasta Salad
- Toast the pasta: we love the nutty taste toasting the pasta provides the orzo on this dish!
- Prepare dinner pasta previous al dente: cook dinner the pasta simply previous al dente. The pasta will soak within the lemon juice and cook dinner a little bit extra after being drained so that you don’t need to overcook it and find yourself with mushy orzo!
- Add grilled rooster: this may simply be become a principal dish in the event you simply add a little bit grilled rooster to it!
- Make forward: this can be a nice recipe to make forward of time. You can also make it very first thing within the morning and it’s good for the potluck that night!
Is Orzo Gluten-Free?
Many individuals mistakenly consider orzo is gluten-free as a result of it appears to be like like rice (which is gluten-free). Nonetheless, as a result of conventional orzo pasta is made with wheat flour it’s NOT gluten-free. It’s changing into simpler to search out gluten-free options although, so I’m positive you’ll find gluten-free orzo in retailer or on-line. Simply be sure to double verify the label to make sure it’s licensed gluten-free!
How Lengthy Will Greek Salad Final?
As a result of this Greek Mediterranean orzo comprises no meat, it is going to final for as much as every week within the fridge in an hermetic container. When reheating this straightforward dinner recipe, you’ll need to accomplish that in a skillet with a little bit water or rooster broth to forestall the pasta from drying out or changing into gummy. This salad additionally tastes scrumptious chilly if you wish to skip the reheating.
What to Eat with Greek Orzo Salad
If you wish to serve this as a aspect dish, listed below are some concepts for a principal dish to go together with it…
Can I Freeze Greek Pasta Salad?
Sure this pasta salad may be frozen. Prepare dinner the pasta as directed within the directions, then let it cook dinner utterly. Freeze it in an hermetic container or we favor utilizing a meals saver. It’s life-changing.
It can final within the freezer for 1-2 weeks.
I believe not less than one pasta salad recipe ought to be loved weekly all summer season lengthy! Put this Greek orzo pasta salad on the menu for this week! The crunch rooster peas, toasted orzo and do-it-yourself salad dressing knocks it out of the park!
Searching for extra scrumptious ORZO RECIPES?
For the Pasta Salad
- 1/2 Cup Pink Onion, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Pink Wine Vinegar
- 1 1/2 Cups Orzo Pasta
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 3 Cups Hen Broth
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 1/2 Lemon, juiced
- Salt and Pepper, to style
- 1 Cup Spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 Cup Feta, cubed
- 10 oz Grape Tomatoes, minimize in half
- 1 Cup Solar Dried Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 English Cucumber, chopped
- 1 Cup Black Olives, or Kalamata
- 1 Cup Calabrese Salami, cubed
- 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 2 Tablespoons Parsley, recent
Stop your display from going darkish
For the Chickpeas
-
Warmth the oven to 425 levels.
-
Place the chickpeas between two paper towels and rub till dried.
1 Can Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
-
Scatter the chickpeas on a small baking sheet with a little bit olive oil, salt, smoked paprika and cumin. Toss to coat.
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, 1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika, Salt, 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
-
Bake for 15- 20 minutes then put aside to chill.
For the Dressing
-
In a small jar, combine collectively the dressing. Put aside.
1/2 Cup Olive Oil, 2 Cloves Garlic, 3 Tablespoons Pink Wine Vinegar, Zest of 1/2 Lemon, 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard, 2 teaspoons Oregano, 1 teaspoon Dill, Salt and Pepper
For the Pasta
-
Combine the purple onion with the vinegar and put aside in a bowl. It will minimize by way of the harshness of the onion and add depth of taste.
1/2 Cup Pink Onion, 1 Tablespoon Pink Wine Vinegar
-
In a skillet over medium warmth, add the olive oil and pasta.
1 1/2 Cups Orzo Pasta, 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
-
Prepare dinner, stirring sometimes till toasted, about 30-60 seconds.
-
Add garlic and stir it in.
2 Cloves Garlic
-
Add the broth, a small quantity at a time. Then add the lemon juice and zest.
3 Cups Hen Broth, Zest of 1 Lemon, 1/2 Lemon
-
Deliver to a boil, cowl the skillet with a lid and switch all the way down to a simmer for 8-10 minutes or till the pasta has absorbed a lot of the water and is tender.
-
Rinse the onion in chilly water and drain nicely.
-
Add all the chopped veggies, herbs, chickpeas, cheeses, meat and dressing.
1 Cup Feta, 10 oz Grape Tomatoes, 1 Cup Solar Dried Tomatoes, 1 English Cucumber, 1 Cup Black Olives, 1 Cup Calabrese Salami, 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, 2 Tablespoons Parsley
-
Toss to coat evenly and permit to relaxation for 10 minutes. Stir once more and serve.
Salt and Pepper
This Greek Orzo salad recipe may be stored within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Energy: 463kcal
Really useful Merchandise
REMEMBER TO SUBSCRIBE TO our FREE Oh Candy Basil NEWSLETTER AND RECEIVE EASY RECIPES DELIVERED INTO YOUR INBOX EVERY DAY!
Once you strive a recipe, please use the hashtag #ohsweetbasil on INSTAGRAM for an opportunity to be featured in our tales! FOLLOW OH, SWEET BASIL ON FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER FOR ALL OF OUR LATEST CONTENT, RECIPES AND STORIES.
