Orzo Salad with Tomatoes and Basil

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.