Orzo Salad
Published May 29, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes, plus 20 minutes’ cooling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Ingredients
- Salt
- 1½cups orzo
- ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼cup finely chopped red onion
- 1medium garlic clove, grated or minced
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- Black pepper
- 1pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
- ½cup pitted Kalamata olives
- 6ounces feta, crumbled or diced ½-inch (about 1½ cups)
- ½English cucumber, diced ½-inch (about 1½ cups)
- ⅓cup chopped fresh parsley, dill or mint (or a combination)
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
368 calories; 22 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 519 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.
- Step 2
While the orzo cooks, make the dressing: In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, red onion, garlic, oregano, ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper; whisk vigorously until smooth.
- Step 3
Pour about half the dressing over the hot orzo, then add the tomatoes, chickpeas and olives; toss well. Set aside to bring to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Add the feta, cucumbers and herbs along with the remaining dressing. Toss, taste for seasoning and serve.
Private Notes
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Comments
Please don’t cook the orzo until it is soft. Make sure it is truly al dente, otherwise, adding the dressing to the hot pasta will just ensure that it is mushy with zero bite at all.
I make a variation of this often (weekly in the summer!) and it’s a crowd pleaser. To enhance the flavor, I either roast or burst the tomatoes with extra garlic than the recipe calls for. Mixing it in when the orzo is still hot infuses the flavor nicely. For a more Italian bend, I use fresh basil and mozzarella pearls (instead of feta). Yum!
I sauté 1/2 C of the Orzo to a light brown color before cooking it with the rest of the Orzo. Gives a nice look and slightly nutty taste to the salad. I start out with 1/3 C of EVOO and add more as needed to the dressing. No other changes. Great other kind of pasta salad.
I made this and it turned out super. My adjustments to the recipe: -- 1/3 cup EVOO instead of 1/2 cup -- 1 cup Orzo instead of 1 1/2 cup -- 4 oz of feta instead of 6 oz -- Add a small amount of diced Red Bell Pepper -- Add juice of 1/4 lemon, fresh squeezed at the end -- Serve with cold, cooked shrimp, cut in 1/2 at an angle Yum!
Simple to make and the perfect side salad for dinner or summer get-togethers. A winner that will be on regular rotation!
I used all the ingredients but changed the entire order of things. Basically I created the sauce first - prep took a while - and I added the tomatoes and olives and let it all marinate. Then cooked the orzo and combined it with the marinated vegetables and added both feta and mozzarella pearls. Quite good!