Cheers to a spring stuffed with flavorful pasta salads that preserve everybody coming again for seconds. Pasta salads get a foul rap for being gloppy and just a little tasteless, so it has been my mission over the previous few years to convey you recent, lovely, flavorful pasta salads you can be ok with consuming (and serving to visitors!)
This herby Italian orzo salad is a scrumptious pasta tackle my Italian Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad and really has every thing you possibly can ever need: recent herbs and veggies, tender orzo pasta, salty feta cheese, and loads of savory parts from olives and pepperoncini. One chunk and also you’ll really be hooked.
Plus, it stays good for days within the fridge, making it excellent for meal prep!
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Elements on this Italian orzo salad
This beautiful, herby Italian orzo salad is all in regards to the scrumptious mix-ins. We’re packing in recent veggies, plus numerous enjoyable additions like pepperoncini and olives! Right here’s what you’ll must make it:
- Orzo: the bottom of this pasta salad is orzo! I really like the little pasta form and the way simple it’s to scoop it up with the remainder of the elements.
- Veggies: we’re loading this orzo salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, purple bell pepper, and purple onion.
- Combine-ins: right here’s the place the salad will get additional scrumptious. You’ll combine in kalamata olives, inexperienced olives, pepperoncini, and crumbled feta cheese for salty, savory goodness.
- Herbs: basil and parsley give this orzo salad a beautiful freshness. Don’t skip them!
- For the dressing: we’re making a light-weight Italian dressing with olive oil, recent lemon juice, garlic, dijon mustard, dried oregano, salt and pepper.
Wait, what are pepperoncini?
Though “pepperoncini” seems like a mini pepperoni, it’s really a kind of pepper. Pepperoncini are yellow-green and look much like banana peppers, however are thinner and sometimes a bit spicier. You possibly can normally discover them jarred close to olives on the grocery retailer!
If you happen to’re delicate to spice or aren’t a fan of banana peppers, be at liberty to omit the pepperoncini on this recipe.
Straightforward methods to customise
You possibly can completely combine and match elements to make this Italian orzo salad your personal! Listed below are some suggestions:
- Select your pasta: I really like utilizing orzo for this recipe, however pearl couscous, bowties, and even fusilli could be nice. If you wish to get actual wild, toss every thing along with your fav tortellini!
- Have enjoyable with mix-ins: you may actually get artistic with the veggies and mix-ins right here. Black olives, artichoke hearts, salami, cubed provolone, shaved parmesan, and even mozzarella pearls would all be scrumptious.
- Go gluten-free: merely use your favourite gluten-free orzo or pasta form to maintain the complete recipe gluten-free.
In search of an additional increase of protein?
Add a can of rinsed, drained chickpeas or white beans to maintain the salad vegetarian, or toss in cooked, cubed or shredded rooster! These could be excellent pairings with this salad:
Two methods to cook dinner orzo
We’ve established that orzo is a wide range of pasta, not rice, however you may really cook dinner it each methods!
- The pasta methodology: I usually cook dinner orzo utilizing this conventional pasta methodology. You’ll boil a giant pot of water, add a pinch of salt, stir in orzo, and cook dinner till al dente, about 6-8 minutes. As soon as orzo is finished cooking, drain it and set it apart.
- The rice methodology: You can even cook dinner it the identical approach you cook dinner rice. In a pot, convey the orzo and double the quantity of water to a boil, decrease the warmth, cowl your pot, and let the orzo simmer till all the liquid is absorbed.
Make this orzo salad forward of time
Most likely what I really like most about pasta salads is that they’re SO simple to prep forward of time! A number of days forward of time, you may both:
- Prep the elements: Chop up your whole veggies, cook dinner your pasta, and make your dressing, then retailer every thing in separate containers within the fridge till you’re able to assemble it.
- OR make the total salad: toss every thing collectively (dressing included) and retailer it within the fridge till you’re able to get pleasure from it! That is my most well-liked methodology after I’m planning to serve visitors the following day.
Storing suggestions
Retailer any leftover Italian orzo salad in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Get pleasure from straight from the fridge!
Extra salad recipes you’ll love
Get all of my salad recipes right here!
I hope you like this herby Italian orzo salad! If you happen to make it be sure you depart a remark and a ranking so I understand how you preferred it. Get pleasure from, xo!
The
Formidable Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Generally Indulgent, and Completely By no means Boring Recipes for Each Meal of the Day
Herby Olive Italian Orzo Salad
by
Lovely herby Italian orzo salad stuffed with crunchy veggies, savory olives, and scrumptious feta cheese. The whole lot will get tossed in a light-weight do-it-yourself Italian dressing for the right warm-weather lunch or dinner that is simple to customise. Deliver this recent Italian orzo salad to your subsequent BBQ!
Elements
- For the dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly floor black pepper
- For the salad:
- 10 ounces orzo*
- 1 ½ cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes (we love heirloom cherry tomatoes)
- 2 persian cucumbers, sliced and quartered (or 1 cucumber, sliced and quartered)
- 1 purple bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup pitted chopped or sliced kalamata olives
- ½ cup pitted chopped or sliced inexperienced olives
- ⅓ cup sliced pepperoncini
- ¼ cup thinly sliced purple onion
- ½ cup feta crumbles
- ⅓ cup chopped recent basil
- ¼ cup chopped recent parsley
Directions
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First make the dressing: whisk collectively the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dijon, oregano and salt and pepper in a small bowl till nicely mixed. You can even add all of them to a mason jar, add the lid after which shake till nicely mixed.
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Subsequent cook dinner your pasta till al dente based on the instructions on the package deal. As soon as executed cooking, drain and add to a big bowl.
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Add the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, kalamata olives, inexperienced olives, pepperoncinis, purple onion, feta, basil and parsley to the bowl with the pasta. Pour dressing excessive and toss collectively till mixed. Serve and luxuriate in!
Recipe Notes
*To make gluten-free: use a gluten-free orzo or your favourite gluten-free pasta!
Diet
Serving: 1serving (based mostly on 6)Energy: 359calCarbohydrates: 41.6gProtein: 8.9gFats: 18.3gSaturated Fats: 3.8gFiber: 3.6gSugar: 3.3g
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Formidable Kitchen | Pictures by: Eat Love Eats
This submit was initially revealed on June twentieth, 2022, and republished on April twenty second, 2026.