Orzo Salad with Tomatoes and Basil
This light pasta salad is brimming with late summer flavors and makes a great side dish for grilled chicken and fish dishes.
This salad can be made a day or two ahead of time and will stay good for a week or so in the refrigerator.
Try serving this salad as a side dish with Mesquite Smoked BBQ Pork Ribs, Apple Cider Smoked Pork Shoulder, or Turkey Burgers.
Orzo Salad with Tomatoes and Basil
This light orzo pasta salad is brimming with late summer flavors and makes a great side dish for grilled chicken and fish dishes.
Print
Pin
Save
Servings: servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups Orzo pasta
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 1 red pepper
- 6 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 ounce basil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Start by dicing the onion and red pepper into small bite sized pieces and mincing the garlic. Cut the cherry tomatoes into bite sized pieces and finely mince the basil.1/2 medium red onion, 1 red pepper, 6 ounces cherry tomatoes
- Cook the Orzo in a pot of boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. The Orzo should be cooked all the way through and tender, but not mushy.2 cups Orzo pasta
- While the Orzo is cooking, sauté the onion, pepper, and garlic in a small amount of olive oil for two minutes on medium-high heat. The goal is to take the bite out of the onion and garlic and to start combining the flavors. After cooking the onion and pepper should still have a good crunch to them. Set aside to cool.2 cloves garlic
- When the Orzo has finished cooking, pour it into a colander and run cold water over it to stop the cooking process. When the Orzo has cooled down, drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and stir it in to keep the pasta from sticking together.1/8 cup olive oil
- Once the onion and peppers have cooled down, combine them with the Orzo in a large bowl. Add the basil, tomatoes, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil. Stir everything together and season to taste.1/2 ounce basil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
Tried this RecipeLet us know what you think of this recipe. Leave us your thoughts and rating.
Mark is an experienced food writer, recipe developer, and photographer who is also Umami’s publisher and CEO. A passionate cook who loves to cook for friends, he can often be found in the kitchen or by the grill testing new recipes.
More Info About Mark Hinds
Leave a Reply