This summer orzo salad puts a healthy twist on the traditional pasta salad. It’s perfect for taking along to parties or BBQ’s. At any summer gathering with food involved, you’ll like already find traditional pasta salad on the table, but a good orzo salad comes to mind much less often. So, mix it up a bit! This salad is delicious and nutritious – loaded with legumes for protein and healthy veggies.
Enjoy this summer orzo salad!
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 one pound box of orzo, cooked, rinsed and cooled
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 medium zucchini (diced)
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (halved)
- 1 medium carrot (shredded)
- 1 6oz can black pitted olive (sliced)
- 1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15oz can chick peas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 2/3 sprigs fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
For the Dressing: (I recommend making this just ahead of the salad, so it has a little time to marinate.)
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- 1-2 tablespoons minced garlic (1 clove garlic)
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup honey
- Juice from 1/4 lemon (about 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
Directions
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Set aside to allow the flavors to marinate.
- In a large bowl or pot, combine orzo with all other salad ingredients.
- Pour dressing over the salad and mix together well.
If you’re looking for a good carry-along pot to bring this salad (or any dish for that matter) to a gathering, I recommend a good quality cast iron dutch oven. Le Creuset is a highly rated, top brand… though it does come at a hefty price point. It is, however, resistant to enable chipping, which is a problem I’ve had with my much cheaper version, so it may be worth the investment.
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