This Orzo Pasta Salad is THE final pasta salad for the nice and cozy climate! Full of Mediterranean flavors, this tender orzo pasta is tossed with contemporary veggies, creamy white cheddar, and contemporary herbs and drizzled in a vibrant, lemony dressing that’s severely TO DIE FOR.
Good luck discovering a simple pasta salad as scrumptious as this one! I lately made this orzo pasta salad for my household dinner (we get collectively weekly with the siblings), and everybody completely liked it. It’s excellent for a summer season BBQ, picnic, potluck, or a terrific aspect dish for any meal.
To make this scrumptious pasta salad, you simply have to cook dinner the orzo pasta, roast your veggies, make your hummus dressing, and mix. You and the fam are going to be obsessed after the primary chunk!
What You Want for this Orzo Pasta Salad
- Orzo pasta: We love the distinctive form and texture of orzo pasta! It’s like a mix of rice and pasta, which makes it excellent for salads.
- Veggies: We roasted broccoli, pink onion, and garlic for this contemporary orzo salad.
- Olive oil: Further virgin olive oil is a should for roasting the veggies and making the salad dressing.
- Cherry tomatoes: Juicy tomatoes are additionally roasted, bringing out their pure sweetness.
- Aged white cheddar cheese: Cheese is at all times a terrific addition to any contemporary pasta salad!
- Pine nuts: Add a pleasant crunch and nutty taste to the salad.
- Contemporary parsley: Provides this straightforward salad a kick of contemporary taste that brightens all the pieces up.
- Lemon: We used contemporary lemon juice and lemon zest for the lemon French dressing.
- Hummus: This will appear to be an unconventional ingredient, however belief us, it provides a creamy and flavorful aspect to the dressing.
Scrumptious Swaps & Combine-Ins
- Veggies: Be at liberty to combine up what kind of contemporary greens you roasted for this salad. Bell peppers or artichoke hearts can be scrumptious additions.
- Cheese: You possibly can additionally swap out the aged white cheddar for tangy feta or goat cheese.
- Herbs: Contemporary basil, mint, or chopped chives are nice substitutes for the parsley.
- Nuts: And for those who’re not a fan of pine nuts, attempt chopped almonds or sunflower seeds as an alternative.
#1 Tip for this Orzo Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is greatest the subsequent day. If getting ready forward of time, retailer the salad and dressing individually. Simply earlier than serving, combine within the dressing to forestall the pasta from turning into soggy.
The best way to Cool Orzo Shortly
To hurry up the pasta’s cooling course of, switch the strained pasta to a big bowl and canopy it with chilly water. Add just a few ice cubes and let the pasta sit. Pressure and take away the ice cubes from the pasta earlier than mixing the salad.
Love Dressing?
If you need the pasta salad to be a bit extra creamy, add just a few additional tablespoons of hummus straight into the salad in step 7. You too can double the dressing recipe if that’s your jam!
Storage Instructions
Retailer any leftover orzo pasta salad in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Make certain to present it a superb stir earlier than serving, because the dressing might have settled on the backside.
What to Serve with Orzo Pasta Salad
This vibrant and flavorful salad is an ideal aspect dish for any summer season BBQ or potluck. It additionally makes a terrific lunch by itself or served alongside some grilled hen or fish. Strive pairing it with our Juicy Grilled Chicken or Grilled Salmon in Foil for additional protein.
We additionally suggest serving this salad with this Jalapeño Corn Pudding for a scrumptious and flavorful summer season meal. And for dessert, attempt our Triple Berry Crumble Bars for a candy and indulgent end.
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Orzo Pasta Salad Recipe
This orzo pasta salad is full of scrumptious taste and texture! It is the right summer season aspect dish full of contemporary greens, white cheddar cheese, and a zesty hummus dressing.
Yield: 6
Energy:
Supplies
Salad Substances
- 8 oz. orzo pasta
- 12 oz. broccoli chopped into bite-size items
- ½ pink onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 10 oz. cherry tomatoes quartered
- 4-5 oz aged white cheddar cheese roughly chopped or chunked
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon contemporary parsley chopped
Directions
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Carry a big pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook dinner till al dente, about 5-7 minutes. Pressure and set the orzo apart to chill.
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Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Unfold the broccoli, onion, and garlic evenly on a baking sheet. Add olive oil and salt, and toss to coat. Roast the greens for Quarter-hour.
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After Quarter-hour, add the tomatoes to the pan and roast for a further 10-Quarter-hour or till the broccoli begins to brown. Take away from the oven and put aside to chill for Quarter-hour.
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Whereas the greens are roasting warmth a small skillet over medium warmth and toast the pinenuts till golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.
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Put together the dressing. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, hummus, salt, and pepper to a bowl and whisk to mix.
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Add the orzo to a bowl with half of the dressing. Toss to coat.
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Add the roasted greens, cheddar cheese, pine nuts, salt, and remaining dressing to the orzo. Toss to mix.*
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High with contemporary parsley and serve instantly or switch to the fridge to chill and change into extra flavorful.
Notes
- To hurry up the pasta’s cooling course of, switch the strained pasta to a big bowl and canopy it with chilly water. Add just a few ice cubes and let the pasta sit. Pressure and take away the ice cubes from the pasta earlier than mixing the salad.
- If you need the pasta salad to be a bit extra creamy, add just a few additional tablespoons of hummus straight into the salad in step 7.
- Be at liberty to combine up what kind of greens you roasted for this salad.
- Basil, mint, or chopped chives would all be nice herb additions to this salad.
- This pasta salad is greatest the subsequent day.
