Orzo—the small, rice-shaped pasta—has a long history tied closely to Mediterranean food traditions, especially in Italy and Greece. The word “orzo” means barley in Italian, which hints at its appearance rather than its ingredients. Although it looks like a grain, orzo is actually made from wheat semolina, like most traditional pasta.

Orzo is a staple in many dishes: soups, salads, main dishes, stuffings, and even an individual side dish. Today, I am sharing a pasta salad with orzo.

Orzo Pasta Salad

Salad

  • 8 oz of dry orzo pasta (cook according to package directions; substitute chicken broth for water)
  • 5 mini-cucumbers or 1 large English Cucumber
  • 1pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup of red onion, chopped
  • 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ½ cup crumbled Feta cheese
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Dressing

  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 TBS white wine vinegar (or use red wine vinegar)
  • 1 TBS minced garlic
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp Nature’s Seasoning (optional)

Directions

  1. Cook Orzo according to package directions—substituting chicken broth for water. Drain and rinse to stop the cooking process.
  2. Prepare the salad contents and add to a large mixing bowl.
  3. Prepare the dressing. Add to salad and mix well.

Serve at room temperature or chill. This makes an excellent meal prep recipe. The pasta will absorb the dressing over time. Add extra lemon juice and olive oil if
needed. This recipe has a Mediterranean flavor. You can experiment with additional ingredients such as Kalamata olives, toasted pine nuts, or grilled chicken. If adding ingredients, increase your dressing mixture.

Search ingredients at FOOD CITY.

Dishing It Out is a place for Aneisa Rolen to share favorite recipes that require minimal preparation, limited culinary knowledge, yet provide maximum flavor, designed for the hesitant cook who loves good food but isn’t particularly a culinary enthusiast. The recipes provided will accompany the videos, making cooking accessible even to the most reluctant chefs.

Comments may be sent to dishingitoutktt@gmail.com and follow Aneisa on Instagram for more recipe ideas @ aneisarolen

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