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Fresh Orzo Pasta Salad served on a large white plate with fresh basil leaves and a lemon slice on the side
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5 from 30 votes

Orzo Pasta Salad

How to make a fantastic healthy summer recipe, our Mediterranean orzo pasta salad is perfect for a picnic, a light lunch, side dish, or a make-ahead pasta salad for a BBQ.
How to cook orzo perfectly and flavour with a homemade dressing, made from Italian style seasoning, olive oil, garlic and lemon vinaigrette dressing.
This simple orzo pasta can be served warm as it is, or serve cold, mixed with your choice of salad ingredients, such as cucumber, olives, sundried tomatoes, sweet pepper, sweetcorn and fresh basil.
Vegan & Vegetarian friendly, or the option to add mini mozzarella cheese balls and pine nuts to this lemon orzo salad recipe.
UK & US measurements given
Prep Time10 mins
Active Time10 mins
Total Time20 mins
Course: Lunch, Main Course, picnic, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: British, Italian, Mediterranean
Keyword: Barbecue, barbeque, BBQ pasta salad, BBQ side salad, orzo pasta, quick and easy, simple, summer
Yield: 8 People as a side
Calories: 257kcal
Author: Luke and Kay - Flawless Food

Materials

  • 250 gram Orzo (1 cup)

Homemade Italian vinaigrette dressing

  • 1 tablespoon Dried Italian Herb Seasoning
  • 4 tablespoon Olive Oil Extra Virgin or virgin is best
  • 1 Lemon just the juice of half a lemon
  • 2 teaspoon Garlic Puree or 3 cloves minced garlic

Salad

  • 60 grams Green or/and Black Olives (¼ cup)
  • ¼ Cucumber
  • ½ tin Sweetcorn
  • 8 Sundried Tomatoes
  • 10 Cherry Tomatoes
  • 2 Spring Onions (green)
  • ½ Sweet pepper (bell) yellow or
  • 2 tablespoon Fresh Basil

Optional Italian extras - not vegan friendly

  • 12 Mini Mozzarella balls
  • 1 tablespoon Pine nuts

Instructions

  • Rinse the orzo with cold water to remove excess starch.
    Washing orzo pasta in a silver metal drainer
  • Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add the orzo and a pinch of salt. Bring it back to the boil, cooking for 7-10 minutes. Eat a couple of pieces of orzo to check if cooked enough, cook for longer if desired? Once cooked, drain.
    Cooked orzo pasta on a wooden spoon over a silver cooking pot
  • Whilst orzo is cooking, prepare the homemade vinaigrette dressing. Mix together the Italian style seasoning, olive oil, garlic and juice from ½ a lemon.
    Squeezing lemon juice into a clear glass pot to make homemade vinaigrette
  • Transfer drained orzo to a large bowl, add the dressing as soon as possible to prevent the orzo pasta sticking together.
    Pouring Mediterranean dressing onto cooked orzo in a silver large mixing pot
  • Stir through and leave to cool, whilst you prepare the salad. Or you can eat it warm as it is with salad served on the side?
    Stirring the orzo and dressing together with a wooden spoon in a large silver pot
  • Chop all the salad ingredients up into small chunks.
    Summer salad consisting off Chopped green, black olives, tomatoes,basil,yellow pepper, spring sun dried tomatoes and green and black olives served in sections on a long square plate with orzo in a white bowl, mozzarella balls, pine nuts, lemon and fresh basil on the sides
  • Mix the salad and orzo together.
    Chopped green, black olives, tomatoes,basil,yellow pepper, spring sun dried tomatoes and the cooked orzo being mixed together with a wooden spoon in a silver bowl
  • Ready to serve, straight away or keep in the fridge to keep cool until needed.
    Fresh Orzo Pasta Salad lunch served on a large white plate with fresh basil leaves and a lemon slice on the side
  • Optional Italian extras, add mozzarella and pine nuts on top.
    Healthy Orzo Pasta Salad served on a large white plate with mozzarella balls on top with fresh basil leaves and a lemon wedge on the side

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 209mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 461IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 1mg